Asian Outlook Spring 2011 Issue #1

ASIAN OUTLOOK volume XXIV, issue 3

40 things every Asian-American should know

ASIAN

Volume XXIV Issue 3

contents OUTLOOK

from the cover 22 | “40 Things Every Asian-American Should Know”

features 4 | Of Tiger Mothers and High Expectation Asian Fathers | By Calvin Prashad 6 | On Asian-style Parenting | By Aimee Mun 8 | Asia’s Dominance in Figure Skating | By Ritesh Kadam 16 | An Interview With My Mother | By Diane Wong 18 | India’s Fair Skin Dilemma | By Kayla Natrella

arts & entertainment 20 | The LXD | By Jaclyn Podd

conscience 37 | Daphne Lee 39 | Michael Chung 40 | Rachel Foreman 41 | Paul Yi 42 | Kenneth Chung 44 | MDI 46 | TASC 47 | Kelvin Chan

letters from the editors...

ASIAN OUTLOOK EXECUTIVE BOARD SPRING 2011

ho would have expected that on a normal Friday afternoon, on March 11, 2011, Japan would suffer the most catastrophic earthquake ever recorded in its history? And that was not all; within minutes of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake, a 33-foot tidal wave trampled up to six miles inland. The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami disaster not only left over 10,000 people dead or missing, but also generated enough force to displace Honshu, the main island of Japan, eastward by eight feet. The quake alone knocked the Earth’s rotational axis off by nearly four inches. These may seem like miniscule numbers, but overall they magnify our reality: how humanity holds onto this delicate thread that is nature.

For the nation of Japan, this terrible crisis may be considered the most challenging since the end of World War II. Fortunate survivors, though powerless, either spend their time tending to family members or themselves while gathering necessities to attempt to move on. Then there are the unfortunate survivors, those who are powerless, empty-handed and are still searching for their loved ones. Some turn to domestic or foreign aid, others to religion and spirituality. Many fight hopelessness the only way they know how: to maintain the glimmer of hope that still exists.

And while the earthquake and tsunami came and went within minutes, the aftermath still remained. With the threat of rampant fires, broken dams and even an exploding nuclear reactor wreaking havoc, a nationwide struggle has just begun. From the viewpoint of a world thousands of miles away, we can only do so much with contributions to relief efforts. Otherwise, we can only pray for a speedy recovery.

editors-in-chief Jeff Hwang Calvin Prashad copy editors Alyssa Alimurung Johnny Thach Diane Wong Jonathan Yee layout editors Lillian Lai Simon Wong secretary Kayla Natrella business manager Ivan Yeung publicity managers Paul Yi Eve Zhang

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Jeff Hwang

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fter internal discussion of the proposed changes to the Student Association, it is the opinion of Asian Outlook Magazine, that timeframe for this “reform” process is far too short. We are not happy that we were consulted only after the drafting of the changes, essentially limiting our options and rushing us to a decision.

We demand the community governments take part in the drafting of the changes and the changes reflect the opinions the entire student body and not the opinions of a few SA insiders.

In fact, the proposed Director of Multicultural Affairs is tokenism at its finest, giving cultural groups a meaningless representative to go along with an unfairly strengthened executive board.

We understand that there are definite benefits to proposed incorporation of the SA and we support this. We have noticed, however, that given the suspiciously short timeframe, incorporation is being used as a tool to push the agenda of a few by subtly playing down very important changes and creating a false sense of urgency. In spite of repeated calls to keep the VPMA on the executive board, some in the SA just don’t get it. It’s clear that no matter how often we speak or meet with them, they will pursue their agenda, only paying attention to groups when it is convenient or useful to them. Asian Outlook demands that the SA representatives, community governments and student groups all have equal input into a document that has huge effects on their operations.

The VPMA is an advocate for all students on campus, not just students of color. The VPMA is the advocate for students who are victims of racism, sexism, homophobia and discrimination. We are not yet at a situation where we can trust the other members of the SA to fight for the rights and interests of minorities on campus. When that day comes, the VPMA will no longer be necessary. For now, we are assured that many on the SA are motivated by ideological agendas and tempted to abuse their power over student groups.

The recent experiences of JUMP nation and NYPIRG are indicative of this. For instance, the new legislation that gives the SA free range to audit the use of office space is a clear overstep of the SA’s power and a blank check for the unnecessary harassment of student groups.

We urge you, the voters to vote down the new constitution when it goes to referendum, shortly after break.

Calvin Prashad

EDITORIAL POLICY Asian Outlook is the art, literary and news magazine of the Asian Student Union of SUNY’s Binghamton University. Originally conceived and created to challenge, redefine, re-imagine and revolutionize images and perceptions associated with Asians and Asian-Americans, Asian Outlook also serves to protect the voice of those in the minority, whether by ethnicity, gender, and/or political orientation. All matter contained within these beautiful pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Asian Outlook reserves the right to edit submissions and publish work as deemed appropriate. Prospective contributors are encouraged to discuss their work with the editors prior to submissions.

Articles may be submitted as an e-mail attachment to ao.editor@gmail.com. All artistic and literary pieces may be submitted to aoconscience@gmail.com.

CONTACT POLICY Uninvited contact with writers and contributors is forbidden under punishment of pain. Please direct all questions, comments and complaints to ao.editor@gmail.com.

interested in contributing?

E-mail us at: ao.editor@gmail.com Or come to our weekly meetings held in the Asian Student Union office (UUW-329) every Thursday at 8:00 p.m.

Of Tiger Mothers and High Expectation Asian Fathers...

What does the furor over the “Tiger mother’s” claims say about us?

By Calvin Prashad

In general, most first-generation Asian-Americans have a complicated relationship with their parents. As is the case with most children in immigrant families, there is a struggle between individual will and the expectations placed on them by parents that sacrifice for them to build a better future.

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hile there is no discernable style or method known as “Asian parenting,” there is undoubtedly a focus on academic achievement on upwardly mobile Asian families. This means pushing children to study hard, receive extra tutoring and move toward the medical, engineering and business fields. In fact, many AsianAmericans will experience an “identity crisis” sometime during or right after college, as they struggle with the choices their parents have pushed them into rather than pursuing their passions. This is why many Asian-Americans reacted initially with disgust at the claims made by “Tiger mother” and Yale Professor Amy Chua in her recent book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.

The furor started not over people actually reading the book and discovering her claims, but rather a provocatively titled Wall Street Journal article about her book.

The “Are Chinese Mothers Superior” article hit a nerve among Asian-Americans with overbearing parents, as well as paranoid white Americans that always held the idea that Asian parents are hardwired to raise “better” children. Verbal abuse, deprivation and social isolation were some of the tools of the “Tiger mother”. Calling the children “trash” and threatening to burn their stuffed animals are also things the Tiger mother admits to doing. The Tiger mother also discourages friendships with other children, claiming her daughters are more successful because they do not have sleepovers, attend play dates, watch TV or star in school plays.

In reality, Professor Chua’s book also tries to point out the flaws in her parenting and

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examine the effects it had on her children.

While Professor Chua claimed that the WSJ misrepresented her work, the furor around it revealed an underlying issue in the Asian-American community. Is the so-

called “Asian” style of parenting harmful to children? Is it even unique to AsianAmerican communities?

The answer is of course, complicated, as no parents are alike. Some parents will put value in languages skills and others will see value in musical instruments, such as piano and violin. Some will be just too busy to care. Arguably, there is a premium placed on education in immigrant households. For these families, education is a means to a better life and opportunity. This and not a natural affinity for academics is the reason why Asian-Americans as a whole have a greater representation in higher education than other minorities.

Additionally, academic pressure is not at all unique to Asian immigrants. Ambitious parents around the country all adopt rigid schedules and “helicopter parenting” to control their children’s future. In that, Asian-Americans are visible in academia, high academic achievement is frequently attributed to them.

The media also contributes to this perception by typically typecasting Asians as “nerds” and geniuses. This would also explain why so many Americans were willing into Chua’s assertion that there was something different about her parenting style, rooted in generations of Asian traditions. The even less informed took it even further claiming this as evidence that China was “beating us”. It did not help that the discussion over the Tiger mother happened concurrently while relations with China were in the headlines. Combined with news stories about America’s debt to China and the jailing of dissidents, the Tiger

The “Tiger mother” and “High Expectations Asian Father” internet memes summarize this topic rather well. NOTE: left picture is not Amy Chua mother added to the idea that the Chinese were “gaining” and challenging American hegemony. Some commentators clearly thought Chua’s style of parenting was the actual “Chinese” style of parenting and even praised it as a model for American children.

Conservative commentator Charles Murray noted: “…large numbers of talented children everywhere would profit from Chua’s approach, and instead are frittering away their gifts—they’re nice kids, not brats, but they are also self-indulgent and inclined to make excuses for themselves.”

Do children really need so called “tough love” to succeed? I’m inclined to agree, but only to a certain extent. Giving children structure and placing value in academic achievement are keys to a success. Coddling children is the best way to ensure that they will be emotionally brittle and desperate for the approval of others. There’s also nothing wrong with giving a child science books or making him learn the piano.

However, there is also the need to encourage and support the dreams and passions of the child. This cannot be stressed enough, especially in terms of AsianAmerican families. Thousands of children aspire to be chefs, artists, designers and actors. Forcing Asian-American children out of these professions perpetuates a lack of representation in these fields and further contributes to notions that Asians will never exceed in these fields. Parents such as Amy

Chua would at best, tell them that it’s a waste of time. At worse, they’ll say just enough to crush their spirit before drowning them with high expectations and insults.

The problem with endorsing a method of parenting that values achievement above all else is the effect it has on a child.

A childhood filled with hours of rigid, scheduled activities and the elevated pressure to perform in school is an unhappy childhood. In this situation, every less than perfect grade is earth shattering, every homework assignment is an obsession, and to earn every point is a struggle.

Compounded with language difficulties and other responsibilities at home, the lives of these children become a terrible burden.

I understand this because I observed the lives of my Chinese-American friends while in high school. School would run from nine to three. That would be followed by afterschool SAT prep, usually at the MEGA academy in Flushing. The weekends would be Chinese school with its own classes and homework.

Add music classes, extracurricular activities or helping with the family business, and life is a living hell. For most, the only escape would be a few hours of online gaming.

When regular school becomes the place where you go to relax, you may be wound a little too tightly. My experience with my parents was less intense, but the academic pressure was ever-present.

That is why I personally have a problem

For these families, education is a means to a better life and opportunity. This and not a natural affinity for academics is the reason why Asian-Americans as a whole have a greater representation in higher education than other minorities

with glorifying the “Tiger Mother” label.

Parents that place huge academic burdens on their children are generally wellintentioned but also unaware of the damage they do by placing pressure on them.

Perhaps they also had similar pressure placed on them and managed to succeed.

However, it is not a coincidence that Asian women and especially teenagers have the highest suicide rate in the United States.

Family, academic and social pressures frequently combine to create an unbearable situation especially for young women.

In short, Amy Chua erred grievously by labeling her style of parenting as that of a “Chinese” mother. Not only are Asian parents overwhelmingly different from each other, but also branding a harsh type of parenting as such contributes to stereotypical assumptions about Asians.

It should not have been surprising that some Americans took this book seriously, as if it was a manual for raising smart and successful Asian kids. It should not be surprising that others put a political spin on it, comparing it to the apparent “rise of China” and their races of people that are all goo d at math. In spite of whatever protests and clarifications Professor Chua might try to make now, the fact of the matter is that a new generation Asian-Americans will aspire to raise their children differently, melding traditional attitudes with “contemporary” views. I for one, support that.

Picture Sources: http://highexpectationsasianfather.tumblr.com/page/3 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/01/ the_tiger_mom_meme_offers_up_p.html

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On Asian-style Parenting:

An Asian Outlook discussion - 2/10/11 Compiled by Aimee Mun

Asian Outlook’s first discussion of the spring semester, “Asian-Style Parenting,” drew many attendees who contributed much of their personal experiences to the conversation. Amy Chua’s book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, sparked the conversation about whether Asians were truly superior at child rearing and exactly how true are the stereotypes of Asian parenting.

Questions discussed: What is your view of Amy Chua’s claims?

What is your opinion on Asian parenting?

Do you think Asian parents are better than American parents?

Did the AO discussion change your view of Amy Chua and Asian-style parenting?

Discussion Highlights (paraphrased):

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he stereotype developed in the discussion consisted of two extremes: competitive, strict, those who vicariously live through their children, and emotionally manipulative, juxtaposed with hardworking, sacrificing, diligent and nurturing. The attendees were not exclusively from Asian Outlook and the Asian-American community on campus. A wide range of perspectives shaped through personal experiences created a discussion ranging in various opinions on the topics in question.

By a show of hands, the majority of attendees agreed that Asian parents are stricter than parents of other ethnicities are. The consensus was that this association between Asian parents and strictness is connected to the desire to be uplifted from poverty.

This rigidity was something that many agreed to be a necessity, not only because discipline leads to success, but also because children are generally naïve and aren’t mature enough to understand what exactly benefits them. What was surprising, however, was the number of participants who expressed a desire to have been pushed more as a child. Many felt from a personal standpoint that having been pushed harder would have helped them in the end.

In the end, the audience was divided on whether or not there was merit to Asian-style parenting.

Greater independence could be gained from this form of child rearing. However, some felt that a lack of social life, trust, and even love were its most detrimental results. Even though participants were divided on the benefits of Asian-style parenting, rigid discipline associated with this form of child rearing was recognized as favorable and for the good of it’s beneficiaries.

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Johnny T believes that poverty is the cause of being stricter.

Diane believes that Asians have this mentality of ‘self-reliance’ and how you can’t rely on other people to build financial stability, etc. and this results how education is valued, and therefore, Asian parents are more strict.

Kevin believes that being stricter has to do with being more successful as well because there are many boundaries and obstacles they must face, so immigrant parents are more stricter because they know what their children have to face in order to be more successful.

Why do you think parents make you learn an instrument?

Johnny (trumpet) says his mom said it would make him more patient and “a better person.”

Ritesh: It’ll look good on your résumé.

Several speakers agreed they regretted not sticking with their instruments even when they were forced to as a child.

Jeff (piano) said he didn’t appreciate being forced to learn an instrument until he stopped playing. He would make his kids learn.

Is it just the Asian parents that give the guilt trip?

General consensus says no. Could guilt trip be an immigrant thing?

Shenen (had both biological and host family) says it happens on both sides of the sea.

Not all Asians have strict parents. Several members have very lenient parents.

Is there merit to Asian-style parenting?

Shenen: Yes, it trains you to be independent.

There are some detrimental effects: loss of trust, lack of social life, lack of love. But there are some benefits to this Asian-style parenting. Most attendees agree that this form of strictness is for the good and for the children’s benefit.

Sound Off/ “I think parents should have control over their kids, but not excessively. Asian parents tend to be more stricter than American parents, but I favor American-style parenting better. I don’t agree with Asian parents who hit their kids unreasonably. Disciplining your kids work, but only up to a certain extent.”

- Danny Lee, freshman “The AO discussion was relevant. No one was afraid to be straightforward about the stereotypes and controversies with Asian parenting. I don’t think the discussion changed my opinion, it kind of just reinforced what I already knew.”

- Dimitri Livshits, junior “I initially had mixed feelings of Chua’s parenting style. It’s good to force your kids to do certain things, but up to a certain point. You have to learn to motivate yourself, which means you’ve got to have your freedom. There was a big turnout for this discussion and a lot of participation this time. The discussion didn’t really change my opinion on Asian-parenting, it kind of just reinforced what I already knew.”

- Paul Yi, senior “At first I agreed with Chua’s parenting style because I went through the same as a kid and came out fine. I had strict parents, became successful as a result, and still managed to have a social life and trust in my parents. I think the discussion went well. There were a lot of attendees and participation even outside of Asian Outlook and the Asian community.”

- Ivan Yeung, junior “I didn’t really know much about Amy Chua other than the fact that she was a law professor and wrote a book. It was my first time attending an Asian Outlook discussion, and I thought the moderator moved the conversation very well and smoothly. There was a lot of participation and personal experiences shared in the discussion. I think the discussion changed my views on parenting. At first, I didn’t think kids needed to be pushed but I’m wondering whether it’s necessary now. I’m personally more in favor of children pushing themselves, so they’re motivated to actually want it. I think this is more favorable because as a kid I was forced to play the piano but found out that discovering the instrument myself was more beneficial.”

- Mark Lim, junior

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Asia’s IN Figu Dominance

Patrick Chan http://www.mcdepk.ca

re Skating

By Ritesh Kadam

The era of Asian figure skaters has arrived. In the world of international skating competitions, Asians are in command with their technical proficiency and profound attention to detail.

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t has been a year since the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. The Figure Skating event, in particular, was one for the history books. Not a single European nation won the gold in any main event. Europeans, especially Russians, had dominated certain skating events for several years. Instead, skaters from North America and Asia took most of the spots on each event’s podium.

American skater, Evan Lysacek, broke Russia’s four-time Olympic winning streak in the men’s event in a controversial win.

Furthermore, Japanese figure skating sensation, Daisuke Takahashi, won the bronze and gave his country their first medal ever in Olympic Men’s Figure Skating.

Rivals Yu-Na Kim and Mao Asada not only took gold and silver, respectively, but also shattered records during the ladies event.

Chinese husband and wife skating duo, Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue, took the gold and ended Russia’s dominance in the pairs event. Until this Olympic Event, Russia and its past Soviet manifestation had dominated the pairs event since the days of the Cold War in the 1960s. In fact, China took both gold and silver podium finishes with record breaking performances. For good measure, Canadian ice dancing pair, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dancing event and broke Europe’s winning streak in the event.

Europe has not lost an Olympic ice dancing event since the inception of ice dancing into the Olympics. You’ve probably noticed a trend from the recent commentary and the title of this article. While once a curiosity in the world of international figure skating, Asia has gone on to become a dominating force in competitive figure skating.

This isn’t just a bizarre fluke during a single event. Over the past decade, Asian skaters

have moved up the standings and up on to the podium during international events. The past five out of seven World Championships have had a woman from an Asian nation win the ladies event. Just this past year, Japanese skaters Daisuke Takahashi and Mao Asada won gold in 2010 World Figure Skating Championships for the men’s and ladies’ events. During the same competition, Chinese skaters, Pang Qing and Tong Jian took the gold during the pairs event. Asian skaters, especially those of Japanese or Chinese descent, have become a common sight on the podium. In fact, it looks like the next generation of Asian skaters will be even stronger than the current generation.

China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong look to continue China’s strong performance in the Pairs event with consistent podium finishes this year. Takahiko Kozuka, after finishing eighth at the Olympics for Japan, has gotten his groove and went on to win several titles at this year’s Figure Skating Grand Prix, such as the Cup of China and France’s Trophée Eric Bompard.

For the new to the subject, the Figure Skating Grand Prix is a series of competitions which include Skate America, Skate Canada, the Trophée Eric Bompard. , Cup of China, Cup of Russia and Japan’s NHK Trophy.

Each skater is assigned to two Grand Prix competitions and strong performances in each event secure a spot in the Grand Prix Final. The top six best performing skaters in each skating discipline go on to compete in the Grand Prix Final. It is divided into Junior and Senior divisions based on age eligibility.

For example, 16-year-old Kanako Murakami of Japan has had a very strong showing in her very first season in the senior division of the Grand Prix. She ended the Grand Prix with a surprise win at Skate America and a

very respectable bronze medal in the Grand Prix Finals. Many figure skaters slowly improve season after season but these Asian skaters have matured technically and artistically very quickly. It’s no surprise that so many records and skating firsts have been accomplished by Asian skaters.

In particular, Japanese skaters have had many technical accomplishments. Daisuke Takahashi, holds the highest overall score under the current ISU (International Skating Union) scoring system with his electrifying performance at the 2008 Four Continents Championships. The technical difficulty of his free skate program has yet to be matched. His bumbling yet lovable compatriot, Nobunari Oda, has mastery over many of the most difficult jumps in the sport. He’s one of the few skaters who can do as many as seven revolutions in the air and finish a landing as soft as a pillow during a difficult jump combination.

Not to be outdone by the men, Midori Ito was one of the most technically accomplished female skaters in the history of the sport. She was the first Asian female to win a world championship. During that competition, she became the first woman to land the triple variant of each figure skating jump. This accomplishment was on par with the difficult jump content of many of the male skaters. In particular, Midori was the first female figure skater to land an officially recognized triple axel jump in competition.

Unlike other figure skating jumps, the axel jump has a forward take-off. In layman’s terms, this means that a triple axel jump requires a difficult take-off and three and a half rotations as opposed to simply three rotations in the air. Women generally have a higher center of gravity than men. This has made it more difficult for women to get

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the thrust and height needed to perform the more difficult jumps with more rotations.

Nevertheless, many men dread the forward edge of the triple axel and most women do not even attempt it beyond the double axel. This has not stopped Japanese skaters Yukari Nakano and Mao Asada from consistently performing this difficult jump in competition. In the Vancouver, Mao Asada became the first woman to do a total of three triple axel jumps in the same competition which would put some men to shame.

Although Asian-American figure skaters,

such as Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan, have dominated the sport for lengthy periods of time, it has only been relatively recently that Asia has been able to consistently compete with Europe and North America The history of Asian figure skaters can be encapsulated in the life of Chinese Figure Skating Pair, Luan Bo and Yao Bin. They became first Chinese competitors in figure skating when the Chinese government invested very little interest and money in the sport. They didn’t have the coaching,

equipment, and financial backing of their European counterparts. They had to train off second-hand information about skating techniques due to China’s many cultural embargos against the West at the time. The pair consistently in last place in every international competition they entered. At best, they were an entertaining curiosity from the Far East. At worst, they were a hilarious disaster and an example of how Asia could never hope to succeed at an international level. Determined to reverse China’s fortunes in the sport, the

Yu-na Kim http://www.koreanbeacon.com pair split off and went off to coach the next generation of Chinese skaters. Their equally determined apprentices have gone from obscurity to fourth place then fourth and then on to the podium. From dead last in the 1980s, Chinese pair skaters had gone on to win gold and silver at the Olympics with decisive victories.

It’s difficult to pinpoint, the exact time of this turnaround. Midori Ito’s technical excellence and Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo’s strong performances were seen as anomalies from the East rather than a sign of things to come. There was doubt that the skating federations in Asian countries could produce champions at a steady pace due to limited training facilities and coaching

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expertise. Nonetheless, many skating pundits mark Shizuka Arakawa’s surprise win at the ladies event at the 2006 Olympics at Turin, Italy as the turning point. Arakawa was an aging yet talented skater who had won the world title in the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships. This was a feat only accomplished by four female Asian skaters including her by beginning of the 2006 Olympic season. However, Arakawa had struggled in the years leading up to the 2006 Olympic season. Determined not to retire on such a bad note, she worked with eccentric Belarus Coach, Nikolai Morozov, to go out with a bang. Nonetheless, Asian skaters in general had gained recognition in all disciplines of the sport with the regrettable

exception of ice dancing.

Ice dancing is an interpretative and subjective event with skating politics and regional favoritism having an unfortunate effect on scoring. Arakawa was the underdog at the event against the current world champion, Russian Irina Slutskaya and the American forerunner, Sasha Cohen.

Slutskaya was a technically proficient and innovative skater. She had a laundry list of gold medal wins, including seven European championship tiles and four Grand Prix final titles, and Olympic silver at the 2002, Salt Lake City Olympics. Cohen, an artistically gifted skater in her own right, was the American hopeful after Michelle Kwan’s withdrawal from the Olympic

Although Asian-American figure skaters, such as Kristi “ Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan, have dominated the sport

for lengthy periods of time, it has only been relatively recently that Asia has been able to consistently compete with Europe and North America.

”

competition due to injury sustained during the practice session of the event. In spite of intense pressure from the Japanese media, Arakawa won the gold with a substantial lead, after her rivals fell on key jumps during the second portion of the competition.

In the process, she popularized a skating element, the layback Ina Bauer, into a colloquial Japanese term for bending over backwards like the skating technique. After each opponent tried and failed to usurp her, the camera would cut to Arakawa and her growing surprise at what she accomplished.

Her victory at the Olympics cemented Asian skaters as significant challengers to European and North American skaters. The victory was all the sweeter for Japan since it was the only medal of any kind won at 2006 Olympic Winter Games. More importantly, the victory at Turin gave figure skating in Japan a sense of drama and legitimacy that it rarely enjoys in any other country.

It’s not the first time a shift in dominance has occurred in the sport. Figure skating as an athletic event was created and developed in Europe. Europeans not only defined the conventions of figure-skating but also dominated the events. The continent brought many key innovations to the sport, such as grooved blades for jumping and light and form-fitting clothing, which continue to be an integral part of the sport.

It’s no surprise that the salchow jump, the lutz jump, and the axel jump were invented and named after European skaters, Ulrich Salchow, Alois Lutz and Axel Paulsen. For the first half of the 20th century, Europeans were the overwhelming favorites to medal at international events.

World War II signaled a shift in power for the sport as it ravaged much of Europe.

The war left many countries destitute and the European skating infrastructure in ruins. The United States, emerging as the world’s superpower, began its long reign in the sport through its economic stability.

American skaters were known for adding a new level of athleticism to the sport with more challenging jumps and difficult transitions between major skating elements.

During this post-World War II period, major American skaters, such as Dick Button and Carol Heiss, had some of the longest periods of dominance in figure skating history. This

came to an abrupt end in the tragic crash of Sabena Flight 548 just before the 1961 World Championships. Many of the most important figures in American skating were on that plane to the World Championships.

With the bulk of America’s best coaches and skaters dead in the fiery crash, it would be several years later that American skaters, such as Peggy Fleming and Tim Wood, would reassert America’s supremacy in the sport. Of course, Canada was another North American country whose prominence in the sport arose after Europe’s tumble. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that Canada truly began to make its mark on the sport with consistently strong performances in competitions. Several Canadian skaters, such as Brian Orser and Kurt Browning, have gone to become some of the most accomplished and influential skaters in the world. The country continues to create some of the most influential skaters, coaches and choreographers in the sport.

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ow, the question is, how and why did power shift to Asia?

Many are quick to credit the oldfashioned Asian three R’s of repetition, rout memorization and reverse engineering. Just as how Asian countries have reverse engineered and improved Western technologies, such as cars and televisions, it is believed that Asian coaches, choreographers and skaters mastered and improved upon the skating know-how and techniques of their occidental rivals.

It’s easy to believe that Asians simply practiced and studied harder than their Western counterparts because of cultural and parental pressures. It’s easy to believe that they’ve mastered the sport through sheer memorization. It’s also easy to believe that Asian coaches have reduced the sport to an exact science and have improved upon the coaching techniques of their opponents. Of course, this simply cannot be the case. Unlike a microchip or a car differential, figure skating isn’t something that can be simply put into a test tube or dissected. Nearly every single Asian skater of importance works in some way with a Westerner, which suggests a lack of depth in Asian coaching circles. Practically every Asian skater works with a Canadian

or Eastern European choreographer. A common belief among Asians is that Western coaches and choreographers are the best in the sport because of their experiences during international competitions. More importantly, they have intimate knowledge of the current scoring system. A number of Asian coaches even suggest to promising, young trainees to seek out a Western coach to teach them techniques that are more advanced.

While Asian coaches continue to grow in experience and number, it’ll be a generation before Asian coaches have the practical experience of their European and North American counterparts on a regular basis.

These coaches, many of whom personally know the hardships skaters face, will warn against sheer repetition. Repetition can wear a skater out before an important competition or worse, lead to injury. The Asian mentality of repetition until perfection can lead to diminishing returns with skaters being too physically and mentally exhausted for events. Instead, the focus is on getting as much quality work done within a given time.

It’s also insulting to suggest American, Canadian and European skaters that they are lazier than their Asian rivals. Many of these Western skaters go into competition with stress fractures in feet, hip injuries or a back brace at the mere age of 16. These skaters undergo grueling training regiment in order to maintain their competitive edge.

Any skater that skips practice for partying doesn’t last long in this elite group of skaters.

Many coaches place emphasis on mental preparation and how one approaches a major competition psychologically. It’s all too common for some skaters to perform well in practice and fall to pieces during major, high-stakes events. It’s even encouraged that skaters balance a personal life with their competitive skating career in order to deal with pressure. In some cases, Asian skaters use training abroad as a means to escape the constant media scrutiny of their homeland.

The best trainers, choreographers, and training equipment are in the West and it will be a number of years before Asia can match their know-how on a regular basis.

Another popular theory is that Asian body structures give them a distinct advantage in figure skating. Indeed, their slim frames

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give their movements a wispy quality during their skating. Their movements between major elements are smooth and they have great flow after landing successful jumps. Their lower weight and, more important, less volatile weight gain, help them land jumps. A difference of a few extra pounds can greatly affect the technique needed to perform a jump. Of course, all of this must be taken with a grain of salt.

A jump is only a few seconds in a program that can last several minutes. Endurance is equally important to jumping ability. It’s not unusual for skaters, even women, to bulk up a bit in order gain strength for the second half of their programs. Nonetheless, eating disorders are not uncommon among skaters, especially among female skaters.

For example, take the 2000-2001 season of figure skating legend, Alexei Yagudin.

While Yagudin was a three-time world champion, he had lost several titles to fellow Russian and rival Evgeni Plushenko.

He crashed dieted for the coming season in order to improve his jumping ability.

However, his stamina suffered and he made critical errors during his matchups against Plushenko, including the 2001 World Figure Skating Championships. In the following season, Yagudin regained the weight he lost and went on to have one of the best seasons in figure skating history, including an Olympic gold and his fourth world championship title.

There is also an implication in this claim that skaters of non-Asian ethnicity are encumbered by their relatively bulky bodies. On the contrary, the strong build of Caucasian skaters is a valuable asset.

Caucasian skaters, such as Evan Lysacek and Evgeni Plushenko, can use their upper body strength to great effect in controlling and maintaining spins, pirouettes, and jumps.

The use of the entire body during skating is required in order to achieve the highest amount of points possible during spins,

step sequences, and transitions. Strong leg strength allows many Caucasian skaters to become power jumpers. Surya Bonaly, a black French skater, used her muscular build to perform extremely difficult jumps, including a nearly complete quadruple jump and a unique back flip with a one-foot landing.

There are simply advantages and disadvantage to different body types that skaters can tailor their styles around.

There is, however, merit in that the lower fluctuation in weight for Asian skaters is an advantage. At best, slim Asian builds is a contributing factor to the rise of Asian skaters rather than the primary reason.

The rise of Asian figure-skating has much to the do with rise of Asian economies.

Historically, figure skating has been the sport of the financially well-to-do nations.

The economic growth and stability of Japan and the Asia’s ‘Tiger” nations allowed Asians to pursue their interest in the sport.

Imagine if a young Michael Jordan wanted to pursue professional basketball but was shackled by the severe poverty in his country. Harlem, a predominantly black Manhattan neighborhood suffering from poverty, crime and severe unemployment, has had charitable programs enabling poor children to participate in the sport. Without these financial aid programs, children from poor families, typically those with below $20,000 family incomes, would not be able to skate. A nation with a strong economy can allow its people to fulfill their interests.

As the GDP of Asian nations grew, so did exposure to the sport through distribution of mass-produced ice skates and the construction of year-round ice rinks.

Furthermore, competitive figure skaters need dozens of customized skates, a vacant ice rink and training equipment in order to successfully compete internationally.

Asia’s rising interest in skating has led to significant corporate sponsorships and

charities organizations. This has greatly aided prospective skaters in covering the sport’s expenses. One can see similarities to America’s growth in the sport after emerging stronger than ever after World War II. It is no surprise that many of the earlier, better Asian skaters were AsianAmerican because the opportunities available to them in the United States. It deserves mention that figure skating has a deep cultural significance to Asian nations.

One would be inclined to think that Asians would be more interested in scientific or economic breakthroughs than a bunch of men and women jumping on ice.

However, many Asian nations see strong performances in international sports as a way of legitimizing their statuses as developed nations. They take great pride seeing their own beat the best North America and Europe have to offer.

Consequently, victories, such as that of Shizuka Arakawa and Yu-Na Kim, are met with close viewership by the nation. Asian nations, especially Japan and South Korea, also see figure skating as another battlefield to play out their age old rivalries. Japan and South Korea have intensive media coverage of skating events and even non-skating events, such as variety shows, attended by skaters. It’s no surprise that a figure skating boom among occurred among the Japanese youth during Midori Ito’s reign and once again after Shizuka Arakawa’s Olympic win. There is a strong social acceptance of the sport in Asian nations that may exceed that of some European nations. This has certainly helped Japan gain a very strong field of male skaters. Many men tend to view figure skating as ballet on ice and ignore the difficult training that skaters undergo.

Another major reason is the late arrival of Asians to the sport. Figure skating has undergone many major changes in its scoring system and event structure. For one thing, the “figure” in figure skating is long

“...many Asian nations see strong performances in international sports as a way of legitimizing their statuses as developed nations.”

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gone. Originally, skaters were forced to trace figures on the ice, such as the ubiquitous figure eight. This was done with a special pair of skates that lacked the edged toepick of the skates needed for jumping. The compulsory figures accounted for a portion of the total score alongside the short program and the longer free skate program.

The compulsory figures were very difficult to perform well and required great deal of experience. The slow, delicate movements required for the compulsory figures were a turn off for young skaters, who were attracted by the exciting jumps and spins of the program portion. However, the growth of televised figure skating matches lead to the end of this portion of the competition.

Viewers hated the compulsory figures and found them mind-numbingly repetitive. In particular, the judging of the figures was meticulous without proper explanation of the required criteria to the audience. Many casual viewers of figure skating would avoid watching the compulsory figures and skip straight to the short program and the free skate portions of the competition. This would result in viewers wondering why a skater who dominated the program portion of the completion did not win gold. The weight assigned to the score was lowered and lowered until compulsory figures were entirely discontinued.

While some of the skating techniques used during the compulsory figures were integrated into the program sections, figure skating became centered on the jumps. This change gave younger, more jump oriented skaters, such as Midori Ito, a second wind. Asia’s late arrival to the world of international figure skating competitions has meant that Asian coaching and training facilities have been inadequate for promising skaters. Modern figure skating training involves many high-tech technologies. A crane system is used to lift a skater into the air and allow them to safely get used to the required movements during jumps. A thin layer of water is sprayed over the ice in order to give the skater a performance boost during practice. Motion capture equipment is used to carefully critique the movement of the skater during jumps. Statisticians are consulted to calculate the most efficient program with the largest point total. The vast majority of Asian skaters work with Western coaches and choreographers.

It’s only been recently that new Asian skaters have emerged under the tutelage of Asian coaches. In many ways, Arakawa’s Olympic victory was a microcosm of how Asian skaters were able to catch up and exceed their Western rivals. Arakawa was an extremely gifted skater but needed the help of a Belarus coach who understood the current scoring system and knew what the judges wanted in order to win the Olympics.

The rise of Asian skaters is a multinational

Pang Qing & Tong Jian Getty Images phenomenon involving talented people from many different countries. This was the case during America’s rise in 1950s.

Prominent American figure skaters, such as Dick Button and Carol Heiss, worked with experienced and innovative European coaches.

However, this late arrival has helped Asian skaters adapt to the current scoring system. During the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City, the sport faced great controversy criticism after a major judging scandal during the pairs event. In the pairs event, the gold went to the Russian skaters, who made a minor mistake, over the Canadian pair skaters, who had performed a clean yet less technically demanding program.

This was further exacerbated by a collision between the two pairs during practice.

Debate raged on whether a clean program or a more difficult, if flawed, program should win. Suspicion fell on the only member of Western bloc to favor the Russian skating pair, the French judge. She would later add to the controversy by admitting to be a part of a match fixing scandal. In the end, an additional pair of gold medals was awarded to the Canadian skating pair. The scandal

led to widespread criticism of the lack of objectivity and transparency in the judging process.

This event eventually led to a revamp from the traditional 6.0 scoring system into the new Code of Points judging system. In the old system, judges scored skaters relative to one and other from a scale of 0 to 6.0 in the categories of technical merit and artistic interpretation. The skater who performed best relative to his competitors won the match. A perfect 6.0 implied a virtually perfect technical or artistic performance.

However, the value and weight of each individual skating element was an informal consensus among the judging community rather than a transparent scoring system with hard numbers. The Code of Points did away with the relative scoring system and established a score for each individual skating element.

This new, detailed scoring system was now similar to an arcade game in which the skater with the highest overall points won the match. Each element, such as jumps, spins and step sequences, had an assigned value and bonus points were awarded for doing an element especially well. This new

Vol. XXIV, Issue 3

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“When this generation retires from competitive skating, there will be a cornucopia of skating knowledge to be learned from them.” scoring system resulted a in a shift towards more well-balanced programs. While jumps are a major source of points, skaters were encouraged to perform better spins and transitions in order to make their programs a complete package. The emphasis is on executing many different elements are well as possible as opposed to simply landing the most difficult jumps. This has been a thorn in the side of older skaters, typically Europeans, who concentrated on high level jumps at the expense of choreography and transitions. Even young European skaters, especially Russians, are pressured to perform high level jumps at the expense of other elements. A good jump requires the right technique in order to perform it successfully. A footwork sequence before the jump will decrease the forward momentum of the skater and make it more difficult to get into position before the takeoff.

Many skating circles in the once dominate figure skating nations have been slow to adapt to the changes. For example, they might place the most difficult jumps and jump combinations into the first half of the program when the skater is still fresh. However, the current scoring system encourages spreading out jumps throughout the program and awards bonus points for jumps done after the halfway mark of a program. In the second half of the program, skaters are usually more tired and there are fewer opportunities to adapt the program on account of mistakes made earlier in the program. Successfully performing jumps near the tail-end of the program is seen as good discipline and stamina. Because of their late arrival, many Asians have easily adjusted to this new shift in scoring. There wasn’t a need for them to drastically change their skating styles or give up bad habits.

It’s difficult to say for how long Asia can continue to grow and dominate in the sport. Chinese pairs have become dangerous adversaries to the once unbeatable Russian pair skaters. On the other hand, China has seen limited success in the men’s and ladies’ events in spite of pioneers, such as Li Chengjiang and Chen Lu, making their mark years ago. Furthermore, several

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Chinese skaters, including star skating pair, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, have recently come under investigation for violating age eligibility for competitions. To be precise, Han Cong was too old and Sui Wenjing was too young for several of the competitions they entered. Male skaters, such Han Cong, get better lift in their jumps as they enter their late teens. Conversely, female skaters have a spring to their jumps during their teenage years that they lose later in their teens. China, no stranger to age controversies for its athletes, can see its skaters stripped of medals and face further punishments. There could be a significant blow done the Chinese skating scene if the age eligibility violation is true. Nonetheless, the Russians plan revenge against Asia with a trio of female skating prodigies that will soon turn of age for the senior division.

Yu-na Kim has been a phenomenal skater, but South Korea has yet to introduce another skater of even half her talent. Similar to Midori Ito, it may take a generation before we see Kim’s influence over South Korea’s youth take form. The Japanese continue to be the standard bearers for Asia dominance, especially for the men’s event. The three stooges of Japan, Daisuke Takahashi, Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka, may be adding a fourth member with young hotshot, Yuzuru Hanyu. However, there is a risk associated with such field of talented skaters. Japan, for example, has more talented skaters than it has eligible spots for competitions. Yuzuru Hanyu, the fourth place finisher for the recent Japanese National Championships, could beat the Russian and French championship winners.

Yuzuru may not get a chance to put his skills to the test due to Japan’s limited number of entries in international competition. Many Soviet skaters, especially male pair skaters, ended representing other countries because of limited entries for Soviet skaters.

This is a something the skating federations in Asian countries may have to manage in the future. Perhaps, the next greatest contribution from the East may not be in the form of skaters. When this generation retires from competitive skating, there will

be a cornucopia of skating knowledge to be learned from them. There has already been an increasing number of Asian skaters working exclusively with coaches and choreographers of their nationalities.

This will undoubtedly further solidify their dominance in the sport. Maybe, just maybe, the next generation of skaters from all around the world will be begging Asian coaches and choreographers to train them.

Takahiko Kozuka Life Magazine

An Interview with Three summers ago, my mother decided to take my brother and me to visit her hometown in Shanghai, China. When I was packing for the trip, my mother walked into my room with a large red photo album.

She handed me the album and sat quietly on my bed. Somewhat confused, I opened the album to find some torn pages, faded photos and a couple of worn-out letters. . .

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here were several family portrait-style pictures along with several snapshots of my mother as a teenager. After browsing through the contents of the album, I realized that the album contained pieces of my mother’s life story that still seemed fragmented to me. That night, my mother and I spent hours in my room keeping her memories alive by going through the pages of the album to help me better understand her story.

I recall seeing a picture of my mother with her hair in braids and waving goodbye. What struck me about the picture was not how plainly my mother was dressed, but rather her age. During the time the picture was taken, my mother was barely 25, but her eyes seemed to reveal that she had already experienced years far beyond her age. When I asked her about the photograph, she said that she was “waving goodbye to Shanghai, and saying hello to America.”

In Ronald Takaki’s Strangers From A Different Shore, Takaki mentions that there were many reasons why Asian immigrants chose to migrate to America. The underlying explanation for their journeys to America is explained by the “push and pull” theory. The theory conceptualizes that immigrants are “pushed” out of their homeland because of certain hardships and “pulled” into another country because of certain attractive qualities. According to Takaki, “push” factors for Asian immigrants to leave their homeland include political persecution, famine, poverty, economic hardship and war, while “pull” factors include the promise of freedom, better living conditions, family ties and more job opportunities. In accordance to Takaki’s “push and pull” theory, my mother was “pushed” out of Shanghai because of political persecution, social unrest and economic hardship, and “pulled” into America by the extravagances of building a new life.

In order to understand the story of why my mother was “pushed” out of Shanghai and “pulled” into America, it is important to understand the history that surrounds the political, social and economic turmoil of her youthful years. My mother’s experiences reveal that there were political, social and economic factors during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution that “pushed” her out of

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Shanghai.

“I feel that if I don’t leave, then I will never have the opportunity to leave,” she said. “Every day I see people jump from buildings committing suicide, every day I see people beaten and humiliated on the streets, every day I see my people starving to death. I don’t want to live in fear.”

Born in 1954, my mother grew up during the economic and political turmoils of the Cultural Revolution. In her experience, there was only one route to escape the turmoil surrounding her and the long lasting impacts of the Cultural Revolution, which was to leave behind her beloved homeland and immigrate to America.

The Cultural Revolution represented a socio-political movement that cut through the social fabric of family life and the dynamics of personal relationships. Ultimately, children turned against their own parents, and friends and neighbors turned against each other; the event grew to be larger than life much too fast. The purpose of the Cultural Revolution was to radicalize the masses and re-mold the consciousness of the people. In order to achieve political consensus, Mao supported the Red Guards, who were essentially militant Chinese youth and radicals who were sworn to protect Mao and his revolutionary ideologies. The Red Guards spearheaded the Cultural Revolution in that they helped spread chaos, resistance and violence across society. Intellectuals, teachers, and high government officials were targeted as “counter-revolutionaries” and were punished or harassed by the Red Guards. During the Cultural Revolution, both of my mother’s parents were considered to be “counter-revolutionary” by the Red Guards because they were both well-educated doctors.

The Red Guards spread Mao’s political ideologies to the classrooms and they targeted my mother as a counter-revolutionary child. To avoid the violence and chaos in the classroom, my mother was forced to stay home. She remembered witnessing the Red Guards ransacking the house, while physically and verbally attacking her parents. From these experiences, the Cultural Revolution created a constant feeling of fear in the atmosphere that “made it unsafe to walk on the streets, to talk to your neighbors or friends, sometimes to even talk to your own family members. The feeling of fear became

My Mother

By Diane Wong

suffocating.”

The political circumstances of the time, and the constant fear of political persecution acted as a large “push” factor for my mother’s decision to leave Shanghai.

Along with the political climate of the time, the social changes and turmoil acted as another “push” factor for my mother’s decision to leave her homeland. Shortly after my mother stopped attending middle school, she was sent to the countryside to work on a rice paddy. In order to eliminate the gap between urban and rural, poor and wealthy, Mao advocated for the urbanization of the countryside. Millions of educated youth, intellectuals and counter-revolutionaries of the Cultural Revolution were sent to the countryside to learn from the peasantry. Altogether, my mother spent six years of her life in the countryside, with every day a constant struggle.

As she recalls, life in the countryside was hard. “Everyday, I worked with the peasants, I ate with the peasants, I slept with the peasants,” she said. “All around me, people died of disease, starvation and even of sadness. I never believed that people could die of sadness until I experienced life in the countryside. Every day was a struggle for your life.” Without strict codes protecting the workers, many workers were driven to work day and night under unfavorable weather conditions. My mother witnessed many workers dying of heat exhaustion during the summer months and pneumonia in the winter months.

A final “push” factor influencing my mother’s decision to immigrate to America involves the economic hardships brought on by the Cultural Revolution. Prior to the Cultural Revolution, both of my mother’s parents owned a private clinic and managed a rather privileged lifestyle. Having been considered a well-off family prior to the Cultural Revolution, my mother’s family had family treasures, money, jewelry and other valuables confiscated by the Red Guards.

Throughout the Cultural Revolution, money and food were always daily concerns. As my mother recalled, “I never really knew the feeling of true hunger until the Cultural Revolution. Every day I was hungry. We were all hungry, but there was nothing to eat besides from porridge.”

Although there was one fewer mouth to feed after my mother was sent to the countryside, the financial situation became even worse because my mother’s younger sister fell ill with pneumonia.

In order to afford medicine, her mother’s family had to conserve and spend even less money on food, clothing and coal. In order to ease the economic hardships of the family, my mother became a barefoot doctor in the countryside. After watching her parents perform on patients in the clinic, my mother used the knowledge she had accumulated about traditional Chinese medicine to make money. As she recalled from her experiences as a barefoot doctor, “I

usually traveled at night to see patients because I had to work in the day time. Sometimes they would pay me with rice, and other times I would get a small amount of money. Anyway, I saved it up and sent it home.”

Working in the daytime as a farmer and in the nighttime as a barefoot doctor greatly affected my mother’s health. With all of the money and food that she had earned sent back home, she barely had enough money to buy the bare necessities. These economic conditions made my mother dream of a better life elsewhere. “I knew I needed to leave Shanghai, I knew that the worst conditions in America couldn’t compare to these conditions here in China,” she said.

When examining my mother’s life in accordance to the “push and pull” theory mentioned in Strangers From A Different Shore, it is evident that my mother’s experiences are representative of the experiences of many Asian American immigrants. The “push” factors of political persecution, social turmoil and economic hardships are shared by many Asian American immigrants who decided to leave their homeland for the United States. Takaki mentions that many Chinese, Japanese and Korean immigrants who migrated to Hawaii between 1850 and 1920 were empowered by a sense of necessity, yet at the same time buoyed by a certain extravagance. My mother’s life experiences reveal that quite similarly. She was “pushed” out of her homeland because of a sense of necessity while at the same time “pulled” into the United States by the “extravagance” of having a brighter future filled with opportunities.

When I was growing up in America, my mother rarely talked about her past. Those times she did, I heard only fragments of her life story: “I attended Shanghai No. 1 Medical College; today it is part of Fudan University’s Medical College.

“During the Cultural Revolution, I was a barefoot doctor in the countryside for three years.

“I left China with only 40 U.S. dollars; we lived in Flushing for four years after you were born.”

These stories never connected in a way that made sense to me.

It was not until that day, three summers ago, was I able to piece the fragments of my mother’s life story together into a coherent narrative. After piecing together my mother’s life story, I began to realize that our stories were inextricably connected, and that my own life experiences were direct extensions of what my mother had to endure in her own lifetime. My mother was “pulled” into the United States with the dreams that she could begin a better life with a brighter future. I realize now that I am currently living in the better life that my mother had envisioned for herself. Behind all of my stories is my mother’s story. Because hers is where mine begins.

Vol. XXIV, Issue 3

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India’s Fair Skin Dilemma: Is Brown Beautiful?

By Kayla Natrella

“She believed that these things don’t happen anymore—not in this day and age when women are recognized for their merit, and not for the color of their skin.” –Friend of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reporting to Times of India

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tirring up controversy, the cover of Elle’s December 2010 India magazine features international superstar and former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with pale, white skin, rather than her natural bronze complexion. Although the actress still looks beautiful in the images, the whitening of her skin suggests that her natural complexion is, in some way, flawed.

According to Times of India, one source argued that “She [Aishwarya] is clearly the global face of the contemporary Indian woman. The last thing she’d want is to have a global image colored by a racial suggestion.”

Times of India also reports one of Ash’s close friends saying, “She believed that these things don’t happen anymore—not in this day and age when women are recognized for their merit, and not for the color of their skin. She is currently verifying this skin-

whitening allegation. If there is any proof of this, she might even take action.”

If the skin whitening accusation is accurate, it would not be Elle magazine’s first offense. In the 25th anniversary edition of Elle’s U.S. issue, Elle reportedly lightened the skin of another non-white cover model— Oscar nominated African American actress Gabourey Sidibe. When confronted, Elle refuted the claims, stating that “nothing out of the ordinary was done” to the cover images, according to NY Daily News.

Elle’s response to its controversial skinwhitening practice probably raises more questions than it answers. Why is it not out of the ordinary to lighten the skin of non-white models? In a poll by NY Daily News asking “Do you think Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a right to sue the magazine if she can prove it lightened her skin?” 74

The offending magazine cover, and a much darker Ashwarya Rai on the right.

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percent of those polled voted “Yes, they are falsely representing her,” while only 22 percent believed that skin-lightening is within a magazine’s so-called “creative license” and the rest were unsure. Many are calling Elle’s skin-lightening racist and change.org has even initiated a petition to extract an apology from Elle magazine and a promise to stop the practice of altering the skin colors of its models to promote light skin as beautiful skin.

Still, there are many who argue that skin whitening products are popular in India, and, therefore, to lighten Aishwarya’s skin would be the natural decision. Comments on many articles about the controversy refer to the popularity of skin-lightening cosmetics and attribute the whitening of her skin to some deep-rooted racism in India that favors fair skin over dark skin.

Although it is undeniable that fair skin is often preferred in India, Americans are too critical of these fairness creams that are not more popular than their counterparts in America—bronzers, tanning oil, tanning beds and sunless tanning creams.

Writing for internationalpoliticalwill.com, Wil Robinson criticizes India, arguing that “The idea of putting lotion/cream/powder on your face to make you look white(r) goes beyond even the kind of racism America is dealing with 150 years after the end of slavery, and over 30 years after the end of Jim Crow.” He continues, saying, “Say what you will about American racists – at least they don’t have the kind of power and persuasion that would make American people of color try to make themselves white (at least, not overtly).” Calling the support of this cosmetic industry by Bollywood actors and actresses “shameful” and “sickening” Robinson seems condescending towards India. He criticizes Indian people, suggesting

that by trying to make their skin whiter, does not seem to be entirely genuine, as the they are also trying to look more Western, women pictured can hardly be considered but overlooks the obsession with tanning in dark-skinned. Many comments on the the U.S. and a simpler explanation for these article complain, “These girls don’t look cosmetic industries: The grass is always ‘dark’ skinned at all to me. They mostly look greener on the other side. Just as many like they could be of almost any European blondes dye their hair darker and brunettes ethnicity with a tan from going to the beach! dye their hair blonde, Wow, Vogue, what a pale skinned people ...By taking action against tease. . .” and “uhh. . . envy those with darker Elle for misrepresenting ‘scuse me. . . where complexions and darker her and lightening her are the dark-skinned skinned people often skin, she is taking a firm models? Most people envy fair complexions. in India are several towards ending shades darker than It is only with a false stance sense of superiority any stigma against darker any of these lovely that one would imagine skinned women... ladies.” Still, despite skin-whitening in India the fact that the is an attempt to be more Western; perhaps, women are obviously lighter than many it is just human nature to want what we don’t Indians, the magazine still makes an effort have. towards putting fair skin preference. The Some argue that British rule sparked next step would be for Bollywood actors and India’s “obsession” with fair skin. In a Times actresses to stop supporting skin lightening of India article, cosmetic surgeon, Anup creams and skin-lightening touch ups on Dhir, explains, “Indians are usually obsessed magazine covers. with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion.”

Even if that is the case, the desire for fair skin is currently fueled by popular media and commercial marketing.

Unfortunately, the desire for fair skin in India negatively affects those with darker skin—particularly in the game of marriage.

Those with fair skin often have much better marriage prospects than those with dark skin, and sometimes, even better business prospects. Furthermore, among Indians and even many Indian-Americans, referring to another Indian as “dark-skinned” can be an effective insult. Some Indian women even become angry if their children get tans and insult them with names like “black monkey.”

Although fair-skinned Indian women generally gain more success in Bollywood than dusky or dark skinned Indian women, there are a few dusky actresses who have gained significant popularity, including Freida Pinto, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu and Mughda Godse. Many darker skinned actresses have also found success in Hindi cinema outside of the mainstream Bollywood films. Such actresses include Nandita Das, Karishma Jhalani, and Shalini Vatsa among others. Although there have been more recent attempts to curve the preference for light skin, they seem halfhearted and insincere.

One attempt appears on the cover of the April 2010 edition of Vogue India, which features five “dark” skinned India beauties and an editorial that says, “Every generation has its share of beauty myths. Perhaps it is time to bust this one. Time to say that as a magazine we love, and always have loved, the gorgeous colour of Indian skin—dark, dusky, bronze, golden—whatever you call it, we love it.” Like other attempts, this one

By standing up against the alleged skinwhitening, Aishwarya Rai is standing up against the preference for light skin. By taking action against Elle for misrepresenting her and lightening her skin, she is taking a firm stance towards ending any stigma against darker skinned women.

Although India’s desire for light skin should not be exaggerated, it does affect the majority of India’s darker skinned population and is, therefore, a problem.

Still, the problem is not too different from a cosmetic obsession throughout Asia, America, Europe and the rest of the world.

India is certainly not the only country where too much emphasis is placed on aesthetic beauty and not enough on merit.

Picture Souces http://indianeyenews.blogspot.com/2010/12/ellemagazine-accused-of-whitening.html h t t p : / / t h e b l a y r e p o r t . c o m /w p - c o n t e n t / uploads/2010/04/Vogue-India-April-2010-Issue.

Vol. XXIV, Issue 3

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Internet Series Review/

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers

By Jaclyn Podd

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he Legion of Extraordinary Dancers is a breath of fresh air in many respects. The LXD, a web series, is a secret society of superhuman heroes who defend the world from evil, i.e. The Ox. This may not catch your attention because it is a fairly generic foundation for a TV series/movie, but the overall exciting and out-there forward motion of the series is where Jon M. Chu, director of The LXD, breaks and exceeds from its seemingly standard description. Season 1 starts out with an introduction of each of the heroes, all coming from difference walks of life, who are trying to find themselves through dance. Overall, the acting is good, but not great, and sometimes can get a little corny. The dancing itself is breathtaking; whether it is tap, jazz, ballet, modern or street, the representation of the dance styles is breathtaking.

Watching the behind-the-scenes extras while under the impression that there were special effects or animation involved in the series, it is definitely a surprise to find that all the dancing is real because the dancing is, for lack of a better word “extraordinary.” This is also the basis for The LXD’s superhuman ability to control chi, aura or ra through dance, which they use to fight the other side, The Ox. Because the series is dance based, Chu directs each episode on this basis: movement. Trust me when I say that the actors’ dance abilities are limitless compared to their verbal abilities, which makes sense considering most of them are used to acting without words.

Season two’s episodes, airing weekly, now depict the schemes, initiations and explanations of The Ox characters. The best description: a well-balanced mix of unusual, out-there ideas and amazing dance moves. The Ox characterizes itself with the typical, dark side rituals and cult-like nature. Combined with the dancers’ abilities, the episodes exude cool and creepy. Even if scary is not the preferred genre on your list, it’s just a small part setting the overall mood, so it’s nothing about which to worry.

Also, one of the best parts I love about each episode is the length.

An unnamed narrator, whom we only know has some connection to the LXD narrates the segments, at most 10 to 12 minutes long, with the majority of the episodes sets them in the beginning. At first, the narration does seem a little clichéd, but it sets the mood of the episode well, and it allows the actors to speak or explain themselves with dance instead of words. So if you’re looking for something to do in between classes or you’re a person with a busy, never-ending schedule, it’s the perfect length for anyone and gets you engaged quickly. Look up The LXD series on Hulu.

This may not catch your attention because it is a fairly generic foundation for a TV series or movie, but the overall exciting and out-there forward motion of the series is where Jon M. Chu, director of The LXD, breaks and exceeds from its seemingly standard description.

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40 SHOULDKNOW. Asian-Americans

THINGS

Culture

2. Fob

1. How to Use Chopsticks

The Correct Way to Use Chopsticks If you’re born Asian, you probably remember the difficulties you had using chopsticks growing up. Maybe your parents would give you a pair of those smooth metal chopsticks and make you pick up beads, a daunting task for a 3-year-old. Even at the ripe age of 21, I still find that difficult. However, gradually you learned to use it, albeit perhaps in the incorrect way. Many AsianAmericans find themselves using chopsticks the wrong way, but through proficiency over time, never bothered to change it. On the back of those restaurant wooden chopsticks, it clearly indicates that the sticks should not cross and instead be used by holding your thumb in place and pushing down with your index finger.

However, an alternate and also widely used method is by holding the chopsticks in place with your middle finger and using the thumb and index finger to move the second stick in a scissor-like fashion, crossing the sticks. Regardless of how you use them, be sure to never resort to spearing your food with it like a fork, unless on rare occasions when they’re used to separate large pieces of food.

Picture Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Chopsticks_usage. png

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Fob, an acronym for “fresh off the boat,” is a derogatory term that is used stereotypically in order to label immigrants from Asia and others that are non-native born (i.e. international students) in the United States. Asian-Americans typically use “fob” to describe and discriminate other Asians that do not or cannot assimilate into American culture. Accordingly, there would be a list of differences that Asian-Americans use to differentiate themselves from fobs, such as fashion (American Eagle vs. BAPE), hairstyle (shortmasculine vs. long-feminine), and language or how well one speaks English without a foreign accent—or if they even speak English at all (broken English or “Chinglish”). Over the years, this has led to such terms as “fobby” or statements such as “Please excuse my friend. She’s not from here. She’s a fob.”

3. Asian Glow

Whenever there’s alcohol and Asians present, you usually notice a red tinge start to flush up on someone’s face after a few drinks, maybe even a few sips. What is that? We all know it as Asian glow or Asian flush, but what causes it? Summarizing all the scientific mumbo jumbo, the person is missing an enzyme called ALDH2, which is normally responsible for breaking down a by-product of metabolising alcohol. This reddish flush can vary from the face to the neck region or even end up covering the entire body. The common myth that only Asians get Asian flush is completely wrong; any person of any race can get it, and not all Asians get Asian flush.

It makes a person look intoxicated, even when they’re not, and generally makes it difficult for him to convince others that he’s fine.

However, not all hope is lost, for it appears that using Pepcid AC or other low doses of heartburn medicine taken about 30 to 60 minutes before drinking can lower the appearance of Asian flush. If you’re Asian and don’t get the flush, consider yourself lucky, for experts around the world have concluded that more than 50 percent of Asians worldwide get the crimson glow.

4. Hella VS. Mad

For many years, slang has differed regionally within the U.S. , especially between the west coast and the east coast. One way the coasts differ is in the use of the terms “hella” and “mad.” These two terms mean almost the same thing, but have different origins.

According to UrbanDictionary.com, the term “hella” originated from San Francisco. West coasters use the term “hella” in place of words such as “really” or “very” to convey the sense that something is unbelievable or over the top. For example, someone could say “that exam was hella easy” or “that guy in the trench coat is hella sketch.” In some cases, the term “hecka” is used to substitute “hella.”

The East coast equivalent to the West coast term “hella” would be the term, “mad.” The term tends to be used within the New York City area. For example: “Damn, you mad late today. Get your head outta yo’ ass” or “That guy is mad crazy. Stay away from him.”

Famous People

minority communities by promoting racial tolerance, civil rights, and social rights. Honda continues to be a prominent voice for the AAPI community, bringing focus to significant issues affecting the AAPI community ranging from securing compensation for Filipino WWII veterans to supporting the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.

7. Daniel Inouye

Politicians 5. Richard Aoki

Richard Aoki was one of the most prominent Asian-Americans involved in the civil rights movement in the United States. He is remembered for the personal impact he has made on the AsianAmerican community, as well as for the social impact he has made promoting the civil rights movement of marginalized populations.

Among his accomplishments, Aoki was a founding member of the Asian American Political Alliance, a leader in the Third World Liberation Front Strike at UC Berkeley, and a co-coordinator for the first Asian American Studies program at UC Berkeley.

Born in San Leandro, California, in 1938, Aoki is a Sansei JapaneseAmerican. During WWII, he and his family were interned at the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah. After graduating from Berkeley High School, Aoki spent eight years serving in the U.S. Army, first as a medic and later in the infantry. After becoming disillusioned with the U.S. growing involvement in Vietnam, Aoki received a honorable discharge from the army and decided to continue his education at Merritt Community College. During his time at Merrit Community College, Aoki maintained close relations with Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the founders of the Black Panther Party.

As a field marshal in the Black Panther Party, Aoki was not only one of the first members of the Black Panther Party, but also the only Asian-American in the Black Panther Party to have a formal leadership position. Aoki is a legendary icon, and an inspiration for many Asian-American students in the struggle for civil rights for the under-privileged minority populations.

6. Mike Honda

As one of the few AAPI members in Congress, U.S. Congressman Mike Honda has represented the 15th Congressional District of California in the U.S. House of Representatives for over a decade.

Honda was born in California, but during WWII he spent his early childhood with his family at Camp Amache, a Japanese-American internment camp in Colorado. In 1953 after WWII, his family returned to California working as migrant workers, and later as strawberry sharecroppers in San Jose’s Blossom Valley. Honda earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and Spanish and a Master’s degree in Education from San Jose State University. Prior to serving as a House member, Honda was a science teacher and served as a principal at two public schools.

Currently, Honda is serving his seventh year as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. He not only addresses the needs of the AAPI community, but also coordinates with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to further the causes of under-represented

Daniel Inouye’s Senate photo Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye is the first Japanese-American to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. As a Sansei Japanese-American, Inouye was born in Honolulu and raised

by Japanese immigrant parents. During WWII, Inouye enlisted in the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a n all Japanese -American regiment thatwhich became the most highly decorated unit in the history of the Army. Although he lost his right arm in the war, he remained in the military until 1947. As a result of his service to the nation, Inouye was one of the first Japanese-Americans to receive the Medal of Honor.

Currently, Inouye is the highest ranking Asian-American government official in U.S. history. Last year, Inouye was ranked third in line to the presidency after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House as the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate.

Inouye has been a vigorous and passionate advocate for the citizens of Hawaii, as well as for the AAPI community at large. For example, During the 110th Congress, Inouye introduced the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act. , The Actwhich established a commission that collected facts involving the relocation, internment, and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans during WWII. Source: http://inouye.senate.gov/Home/Home_1.cfm

8. Dalip Singh Saund

Dalip Singh Saund was born in Amritsar, a city in the present day Punjab state of India. In 1919, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Punjab and moved to California one year later, while India was still a British colony. He later attended Berkley and received a doctorate in mathematics (Scholastic Inc. 2011). A few events led Saund to activism: First, President Harding signed the Cable Act into law, which caused his American wife to lose her

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citizenship by marrying him. Then, the Supreme Court vs. Bhagat Singh Thind case decided that Asian Indians were ineligible to citizenship, and finally, the City Council dismissed anti-Indian violence, saying that the Sikh Asian Indians brought it upon themselves. Dalip Singh Saund did not go straight into politics, but, instead, had an agricultural career until 1953. In the 1940s, he formed the Indian Association of America and worked with the Indian League of America to achieve Indian-American rights to citizenship. His work came to fruition when Truman signed the Luce-Cellar Act, permitting citizenship to Asian Indians, in 1946.

Dalip Singh Saund finally gained citizenship in 1949. Active in the Democratic Party, he was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, 1956 and 1960. In 1950, Saund ran for judgeship and won, but could not serve because he had not been a citizen for a full year. Still, he did not give up and served as judge from 1952 until he became a congressman in 1957 (Nas 1999). He served three terms, but suffered a stroke while campaigning for a fourth and died, ending his career (Scholastic Inc. 2011). Dalip Singh Saund not only helped win citizenship for Indians, but also inspired other Asian-Americans to pursue careers in politics, something that seemed impossible at the time.

raised in a Punjabi Hindu household, he converted to Christianity in high school and is currently a practicing Catholic. Bobby Jindal opposes race-based social entitlements and has voted against the distribution of race-based college grants. His belief that everyone should receive equal treatment, regardless of race, is a primary motivation behind his policies as well as a source of criticism within minority communities. There have been talks of Jindal running for president in 2012, but although he has not ruled out putting in a bid for president, he says that he is going to focus on his reelection in 2011, for now.

10. Patsy Mink

9. Bobby Jindal

Patsy Mink on Capital Hill

Picture of Bobby Jindal and his family on the night of his inaugural ball Republican Bobby Jindal is not only the first Asian-American governor of Louisiana, but also the first Indian-American governor in the United States. In addition to that, he is also the youngest governor to serve in this country. In 2004, Jindal was elected as the second Indian-American to ever serve Congress, but later returned to serving as Louisiana’s governor. According to the Encyclopedia of World Biographies, Bobby Jindal was originally named Piyush Amrit Jindal, however he adopted the name “Bobby” after the Brady Bunch character which he identified with as a child. Jindal was born in six months after his parents immigrated to the U.S. from the northwestern Indian state of Punjab. Although Jindal was

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Thinking of high-powered women in our government today, the names Nancy Pelosi, Sonia Sotomayor, and Hillary Clinton could easily be in the top three (okay, Sarah Palin probably being the very number one, but not necessarily as a good first thought). Now personally I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I sometimes take for granted the age and country in which we live where women of position are able to exist and thrive and even more embarrassed of forgetting the people we need to thank for the opportunity. Born in Maui, Hawaii in 1927, Patsy Mink was the first Asian-American and woman of color in the United States Congress. She held office in the 60’s and 70’s, which covered the middle and end of the Vietnam War. She essentially pushed the limits of her time and of what was acceptable, speaking out early and persistently against the Vietnam War. Entering the 1972 presidential primary, this made her one of the first women to seek the nation’s highest office. From the discrimination towards Japanese Americans during her high school years, her rejection to any medical school because she was a woman, to her struggles throughout her political life, Mink beat belittlement, racism and stereotyping, probably things with which most of us are unfamiliar with in any context. Put simply: many thanks from the flock, to Patsy Mink for being head goose in the flying V.

11. John Liu

Taiwanese-American (and Binghamton alumnus) John C. Liu became the first AsianAmerican elected to citywide office in New York City, beating out Republican Joe Mendoza for the position of City Comptroller. The office of the City Comptroller, obscure as it is, is a powerful one; it controls the New York City budget and is responsible for financial oversight as well as investment of pension funds.

Previously, Liu had served as the City Councilman from Flushing, New York where he worked for financial transparency, affordable housing and equitable treatment for minority groups in New York City. He also fought discrimination and became a bit of a minor celebrity as he increasingly appeared and spoke at events outside his district with his office covered extensively in local Chinese language press.

During his time at Binghamton, John Liu was the president of the Chinese American Student Union, Executive Vice President of the Student Association and helped to form the current Asian Student Union. After graduating in 1988, Liu worked for Price Waterhouse Coopers and ran for city councilman.

New York City Comptroller John Liu during a press conference As the first Asian-American on the city council, he joined with the Black and Latino council members to form the Black, Latino and Asian caucus (BLA) in the city council. Since then he has not only reached out to these communities, but also built a base in these neighborhoods that propelled him into the office of the City Comptroller. He also reached out to working class New Yorkers by sharing his experiences as an immigrant and helping his mother with sweatshop work. In displaying an ability to work outside his immediate neighborhood and genuine concern for the problems of ordinary New Yorkers, he won convincingly in the primary runoff over three other Democratic rivals and also in the general election.

Sports 12. Michelle Kwan

Born in Torrance, California to Hong Kong immigrants, Michelle Kwan began ice skating at the early age of 5, following in the footsteps of her older sister. After only a year of skating, Michelle Kwan entered and won her first competition. At the age of 13, she finished eighth in the 1994 World Championships, earning the position of alternate in that year’s Olympic Games.

Although she did not compete in the Olympics that year, she went on to win more awards than any ice skater in the history of the United States. Throughout her career, Michelle Kwan won nine U.S. championships, five world championships and two Olympic medals. In 2005, Kwan attended UCLA, but she transferred to University of Denver a year later, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a minor in political science.

In 2006, Condoleezza Rice appointed her to the position of public diplomacy ambassador. Kwan is currently pursuing a degree in international affairs at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Michelle Kwan has served as an inspirational figure in America and overseas, as she is popular in China, as well.

Despite her retirement or “break” from competitive figure skating, she is still among the most popular American athletes.` Sources: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/Michelle-Kwan/biography http://womenshistory.about.com/od/figureskaters/p/michelle_kwan.htm http://www.biography.com/articles/Michelle-Kwan-11919948 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-06-03-michelle-kwangraduating_N.htm

Michelle Kwan during a competition

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13. Manny Pacquiao

Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao is a famous Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is considered an iconic boxer and the pride of the Philippines. He was born on December 17, 1978 in General Santos City, Philippines. At 16, he started his professional boxing career as a Light Flyweight. His defining moment was in 2001 when he won the International BoxingFederation Junior Featherweight World Title after he beat former IBF World Super Bantamweight champion, Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. He defended this title four times with his expert head trainer and owner of West Hollywood’s Wild Card Gym, Freddie Roach. He was titled the Boxers Writers Association of America and The Ring magazine’s “Fighter of the Year” in 2006, 2008, and 2009. His fighting record is 52 wins, three losses, 38 knockouts, and two draws. Currently, Pacquiao is the International Boxing Organization and The Ring magazine Light Welterweight champion and The Ring’s #1 pound-for-pound boxer.

Pacquiao was recently elected the congressional representative of the Philippine province, Sarangani, in May of last year, a testament to his popularity in his native country.

Sources: http://www.mannypacquiaofan.com/biography.htm http://www.hbo.com/boxing/people/index.html#/boxing/people/mannypacquiao/fighter-bio/manny-pacquiao.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_Pacquiao http://www.ringtv.com/

Singers 14. Jin

Jin Au-Yeung is an American-born Chinese, Hong Kong-based hip-hop artist, actor and songwriter. Born in Miami, Florida on June 4th, 1982, Jin graduated from high school in 2000 and moved to Flushing, Queens where he began performing freestyles and selling mix tapes in hip-hop clubs and the streets of New York City.

With his continuing local fame, the Black Entertainment Television program 106 & Park invited him to a segment called Freestyle Friday where local rappers battled each other. Jin became the first rapper on the program to win seven battles in a row, which later led to his induction into the Freestyle Friday Hall of Fame.

In 2002, Jin signed his first deal with the Ruff Ryders label to begin his current hip-hop career. His first single, “Learn Chinese” is a combination of catchy beats and rap lyrics in both English and Cantonese. His second single, “Senorita” was a collaboration with Kanye West. Although Jin’s debut album, The Rest is History, reached number 54 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, both singles failed to be major mainstream successes. In 2003, Jin played the role of Jimmy, a mechanic in 2 Fast 2 Furious and his song “Peel Off” was featured on the soundtrack.

After six years of producing music in the United States, Jin moved to Hong Kong, signed under Universal Music Group Hong Kong, and began performing under the alias “MC Jin”. While in Hong Kong, Jin repacked his “ABC Jin” album and released a mixtape titled Free Rap. He is featured in songs sung by artists such as Far East Movement, Wang Lee Hom and Hanjin Tan. Jin is one of the innovators of the hip-hop world and first to integrate Chinese into English rap music.

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Manny Pacquiao after a victory

15. Far East Movement

Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is a Billboard-topping music group in the U.S. The group originates from Los Angeles, California and is made up of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), J-Splif (Jae Choung) and DJ Virman (Virman Coquia).

Part of the excitement surrounding this group is the representation of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Filipino descent. They blend elements of pop, hip-hop, dance and electronica to form their own sound which they call “Free Wired.”

Kev Nish, Prohgress and J-Splif grew up together in LA and entered the music industry together in 2003 performing at local clubs around town. Their first album Folk Music debuted in 2006 with songs that were featured in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. In 2008, DJ Virman joined the group. They are currently signed with Cherrytree Records.

Their chart-topping song “Like A G-6 ” has become widely known and has played on popular radio stations all over the country. When the song debuted on YouTube, the track quickly became viral and had over one million hits before the song even played on the radio.

Other songs including “Girls On The Dance Floor” and “Rocketeer” have topped charts across the country.

Source: http://www.fareastmovement.com/bio/ http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/12/far-east-movementhits-the-dance-floor.html

Youtube Phenomenon 16. Wong Fu Productions

In 2006, Wong Fu Productions attracted attention through their popular web short “Yellow Fever” on Youtube. They are comprised of three members: Phil, Wes and Ted. Together, they form an independent media group as they film with no budget and with no sponsors. Their videos are consistent as they usually contain a meaningful theme.

In their famous “Yellow Fever” skit, the protagonist (Phil) sets out to find the reasons why there is a lack of Asian guy-Caucasian girl couples compared to Asian girls-Caucasian guy couples. In the end of his adventure, he realizes that it is because Asian guys are not assertive enough and generally have low confidence. This video brought many views on YouTube and thus, brought Wong Fu Productions to fame. Their second breakthrough on Youtube was their “Just a Nice Guy” videos as they focus on the common belief that “a nice guy always finishes last”. At the same time, Wong Fu Productions started selling Nice Guy and Nice Girl shirts alongside with the video. This gave way to their online shopping website, which has grown through the years, as there are now more merchandise such as plushie dolls and posters. Recently, Wong Fu Productions has done another skit called the “International Secret Agents” using a secret spy as a standpoint to show the “dangers” of labels on people, especially in high school. Looking back on “Yellow Fever” and “Just A Nice Guy” videos and comparing them with the recent International Secret Agents, they have tremendously improved their filmmaking skills through the years

Actors 18. George Takei

If you don’t know George Takei, you may know the name Sulu.

If you don’t know Sulu then you’re probably not as big as a nerd as I am. Born in Los Angeles, Takei started appearing in the media in small film and television appearances around the 50’s when Asians were rarely seen in Hollywood. In 1965, Takei landed his iconic role as the helmsman of the Enterprise, Mr.Sulu on the cult classic sci-fi television show Star Trek. Following his post Star Trek years, Takei continued to guest star in television shows such as MacGyver in 1986 and Miami Vice in 1987. He also co – wrote a sci –fi novel with Robert Asprin in 1979.

In addition to being an actor and writer, Takei is also a huge supporter of the Democratic party. He was an alternative delegate for California to the Democratic National Convention and the year after ran for the City Council of Los Angeles losing the election by 1647 votes.

In 2005, Takei came out to the public about his sexuality and was currently living with his partner of eighteen years, Brad Altman.

Though he had come out a long time ago to his Star Trek fans and cast, Takei never really hid his homosexuality or his membership in the LGBT. He has publically spoken out against Proposition 8 and is avid supporter of gay rights and civil rights. Takei has spoken out in television commercials against homophobes such as basketball player Tim Hardaway and Arkansas school board member Clint McCance.

17. Nigahiga & KevJumba

“Nigahiga,” the alias of Ryan Higa, is the most subscribed channel on YouTube. When he started this channel, Ryan made several videos both solo and with his friend Sean Fujiyoshi. He then gained popularity by making videos that included a variety of styles, from parody of songs to comedic pieces. As he gained recognition on YouTube, he started to collaborate with Wong Fu Productions, Kevjumba, and other YouTube stars. With a bigger circle of friends, he is able to go beyond short videos. He came out with his movie “Agents of Secret Stuff” which was directed by Wong Fu Productions. The movie gained instant popularity on YouTube.

Like Nigahiga, Kevjumba is another popular YouTube Channel by Kevin Wu. Inspired by some stand-up performances, he decided to put his comedy videos on YouTube. His very first Video “I Have to Deal With Stereotypes” was featured on YouTube’s home page. He gained his popularity by making more comedy videos. His father frequently appears in his videos. Kevin Wu also has another channel “JumbaFund” for charity functions. He and his dad also participated in the television show “The Amazing Race”.

Ted Fu(L) Wesley Chan(M) Philip Wang(R)

19. James Hong

James (Jimmy) Hong is the one of the most prolific AsianAmerican actors, starring in nearly 450 television and film roles.

He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 22, 1929 to Chinese-American parents. Though he studied civil engineering, his passion was acting and he quickly quit his engineering job pursue his dream. Hong got his start redubbing Asian films such as Godzilla before landing minor roles on TV and films. In 1965, he founded the East-West Players, an institution devoted to promoting Asian-American theatre and actors. His most high-profile roles were in movies such as Blade Runner (1982), Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and Chinatown (1974). Additionally on television, he played reoccurring roles in Hawaii Five-O, Kung Fu and several other important series. Today’s generation will better associate him with his voice acting, providing the voice of Chi Fu in Mulan, Dalong Wong in Jackie Chan Adventures and Mr. Ping in Kung Fu Panda.

Hong acted in the worst times for Asian-Americans in Hollywood. Although yellowface was less common at the time, only stereotypical roles were available. Chinese-American actors that took these roles, in Hong’s eyes, “needed money or didn’t care”.

Hong grew tired of discrimination in Hollywood and the lack of meaningful roles for Asian-Americans. Throughout his life, Hong railed against discrimination in Hollywood and campaigned for better Asian-American roles in movies and television. Although some progress has been made, Hong noted that there were only 200 Asian actors at the recent Screen Actors Guild meeting.

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20. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee was an actor, martial artist, philosopher, writer and a film maker. Most of all, Bruce Lee was an icon. He wasn’t just an influence in the Asian community; he impacted the world as a whole. Even decades after his death, his popularity and influence remain strong. Many athletes, actors, artists and musicians claim that Bruce Lee was an influence to them.

Lee dramatically changed how Asians were seen in the West.

Before his arrival, white actors played Asian roles. Back then, the majority of Asian roles were of comical fools, laborers or villainous characters. Lee was a non-white hero who would stand up for himself. He changed the image of the small-eyed, buck-toothed person to the philosophic martial artist. The film Enter the Dragon (1973) propelled Lee into the West as the Asian kung fu hero.

Before the film, however, Lee co-starred in The Green Hornet television series as Kato. He was spotted at a karate tournament in Long Beach, CA, where he was demonstrating his legendary oneinch punch. At a distance of an inch, from Lee’s fist to the volunteer, the punch could send the person flying backwards. Word of Lee’s prowess reached producer William Dozier, who asked rewarded Lee the Kato role after a successful screen test. While filming for The Green Hornet, Lee was told to slow down his movements since the cameras were not advanced enough to capture his speed.

Even though Lee’s charisma and martial arts skills easily landed him a television job, landing a role in Hollywood films was no simple feat. Lee pitched an idea of a television series, focusing on a story of a traveling Eastern monk in the American Old West, to Warner Bros. , hoping to land the main role for himself. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. cast David Carradine because they believed that a Chinese man would not be appealing star. The disappointed Lee flew to Hong Kong, where he created a couple of films, some of which he wrote, directed and produced himself. The popularity of the films drew Western attention. Lee was offered a deal to create a Hong Kong-American co-production film. This deal was a big opportunity and made Lee put his own film Game of Death on hold for Enter the Dragon.

Enter the Dragon was a huge success. On the budget of less than $1 million, the film grossed $90 million worldwide, making it one of the most commercially successful films ever. Not only was it a box office hit, but it also set a cultural phenomenon in place. After Enter the Dragon, everyone wanted to be a Bruce Lee, which caused a craze for learning kung fu. Martial arts studios opened all over and people, ranging from men to children, flocked in to learn kung fu.

Lee not only started the martial arts craze, but he also invented his own martial arts style called Jeet Kune Do. Prior to his success, Lee sought to teach martial arts as a career. However, he was confronted by members of the martial arts community in San Francisco, who were opposed to him teaching non-Chinese people.

They challenged him, striking a deal that if he lost he would stop teaching foreigners. Lee was victorious within three minutes, but he questioned his physical fitness and his martial arts. This is when he started to mix and blend different fighting styles to create his own style of Jeet Kune Do. Originally learning Wing Chun from Ip Man back in Hong Kong, Lee began to expand his knowledge. He didn’t like the restrictions and limitations of fighting styles, believing that the person should be able to adapt because a fight could occur in any situation. Lee explained that Jeet Kune Do is the “art of fighting without fighting.” The aim is to take the opponent out before he has a chance to attack. While other martial arts have complicated moves, Jeet Kune Do focuses on being simple and direct. The style is still practiced today and is taught only by a few qualified teachers.

Even 30 years after his passing, Bruce Lee is still referenced in pop culture today. The iconic yellow track suit can be seen in various movies ranging from Shaolin Soccer (2001) to Kill Bill (2003). Brett Ratner, director of the Rush Hourseries, paid homage to him in his movies, where he duplicated the fight scene in Game of Death

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and the opening scene of Enter the Dragon. RZA, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, said that Lee was a strong influence on him. The WuTang Clan named their debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang” after Enter the Dragon. Marvel Comics created the character Iron Fist based on Lee a year after Enter the Dragon was released. Lee was also very inspirational for video games, especially in the fighting genre. In most fighting games, there is a Bruce Lee inspired character, which usually has a resemblance to the legendary kung fu action star. The Street Fighter series has the character Fei Long, who is the video game embodiment of Bruce Lee. Fei Long’s back story is also similar to Lee’s, as both are movie stars and martial artists.

Even though he starred in only one Hollywood movie, Bruce Lee is recognized world-wide as the master of martial arts. His superhuman feats, like the two-finger push up and the one-inch punch, are testaments to his greatness. Various statues and museums have been constructed in his honor and remembrance. He was a man who revolutionized the arts, media, film, philosophy and physical training; a man who couldn’t see the impact his presence created; a man who changed the world.

Source: http://www.brucelee.com/site/biography Picture Source: http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/2/20087/392281-57665-bruce-lee_super.jpg

Food

23. Sriracha Sauce

21. Spam

Bottles of Sriracha at a market in San Gabriel, Cali

All different types of Spam Made from sliced sweet and tender pork shoulder and spiced ham, Spam is a delicious luncheon canned meat product that over the years has found its place in Asian cuisine. Famously, in Hawaii, Spam is extremely popular and is well known as the “Hawaiian steak.” One Hawaiian dish that uses Spam is called Spam musubi, a kind of Japanese onigiri that is made from cooked Spam and rice rolled intact with nori seaweed.

Similarly, markets and food vendors in Okinawa, Japan, sell large square-shaped onigiris stuffed with Spam and eggs. Chanpuru is a popular Okinawan stir-fry dish that includes Spam with vegetable, tofu, eggs, bean sprouts and bitter melon. In the Philippines and Guam, Spam is typically cooked with fried rice. If not, it is often consumed alongside with white rice and eggs. In Hong Kong cafés, Spam is commonly found in a bowl of instant noodles with a sunnyside up egg.

Did you know that Spam is offered in fast food restaurants?

McDonalds, Burger King and Jollibee in Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines have recently incorporated Spam into their menus from breakfast platters, sandwiches and burgers. Next time you are in a McDonalds in Hawaii, skip the Big Mac and why not order a McSpam sandwich?

22. Kimchi

Nowadays, the word kimchi is becoming known more and more across the United States. One may ask, what exactly is kimchi? First of all, kimchi is Korean; one cannot stress the importance of kimchi in everyday life in Korea. It can be traced all the way back to 3,000 years ago. Although the ingredients may have changed, such as the addition of the red chili after Korea came in contact with the Western world . Kimchi comes in many different varieties including radish or green onion; however, the typical variety given at Korean restaurants is napa cabbage. The kimchi is seasoned and fermented and served as a side dish. Kimchi can also be used as an ingredient in many Korean dishes such as kimchi fried rice, kimchi jjigae—also known as stew—and kimchi soup. It has been touted as a food for the health conscious with it being low in calories while providing many nutrients.

Sriracha sauce is a Thai spicy sauce that was created in the city of Si Racha, located near Central Thailand. Although it was first invented for native seafood restaurants, Sriracha sauce quickly became an instant sensation within Eastern and Southeast Asia.

Sriracha sauce contains mostly chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. With its great blend in taste, this sauce is neither too spicy nor too mild. Over the years, Sriracha sauce has become really famous outside of Asia. In the United States and Europe, Sriracha sauce has become a local favorite in many Asian restaurants. Some foods that are linked with Sriracha sauce are dumplings in Chinese restaurants, pho in Vietnamese restaurants, and sushi in Japanese restaurants. Today, it is almost impossible to miss this sauce in an Asian restaurant. Aside from restaurants, many Asian retail stores also sell this sauce. One of the most distinguishable Sriracha sauce is “Tuong Ot Sriracha (Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce)”. The main way to find this sauce is by looking for the rooster. The rooster is a trademark and symbol of Sriracha sauce by Huy Fong Foods. Likewise, this is also most likely the most famous Sriracha sauce in the world. Sriracha sauce has become Asia’s spicy sauce with its immense popularity.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=1

24. Fortune Cookie

I am quite sure that almost everyone has come in contact with a fortune cookie. Fortune cookies are the complementary cookies given out at many Chinese restaurants that you break open to find a slip of paper with some words of wisdom on it. What many people do not know is that the fortune cookie is not an invention of the Chinese, but in fact one of Japanese origin. The fortune cookie can be tracked back as far as 19th century Japan. At this time, the cookies were made of sesame and miso, instead of the butter and vanilla that is used in the American fortune cookie. They were also larger in size and darker in color. With the tradition of omikuji, or random fortunes, these were incorporated by sticking the slip of paper in the bend of the cookie instead of inside the cookie as it is in America. These cookies are known as Tsujiura Senbei. The fortune cookie came to America along with the Japanese immigrants, one of the most notable being Makoto Hagiwara who is claimed to have been the first person who sold the cookie that we are familiar with today at Golden Gate Park’s Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco around the 1890s.

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25. Bubble Tea

Chances are that if you live in Flushing or Chinatown you know what bubble tea is. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it is a very popular Asian drink that originated from Taiwan. Bubble tea is usually a sweetened drink that contains powders of a specific fruit combined with milk and black or green tea. However, the main ingredient in bubble tea is the black tapioca “pearls.” Tapioca is the most important part of the drink because it makes it unique. Tapioca is about the size of a small pearl; the texture of tapioca is supposed to be chewy. The price of bubble tea varies from around $2 to $4 depending on how high-quality the drink is. However, no matter the price, it is a universal consensus that Asian Americans love this drink. Quickly’s and Ten Ren are some examples of popular bubble tea stands and they can easily be found in Flushing or Chinatown.

For delicious bubble tea, come to Asian Outlook meetings during discussions.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999172,00.html

History

26. 442nd Regiment Combat Team

The 442nd Infantry was a segregated combat unit that served in the European theatre during World War II. The regiment was almost entirely Japanese-American Nisei, born and raised in the United States. Consequently, the some of the families of these men were in internment camps during the wartime under Executive Order 9066.

The majority of the regiment, exactly 3,000 men, were volunteers from Hawaii, where internment was not in effect. Only 800 mainlanders joined the unit, likely angry over internment. These 3,800 men became the 442nd, or the “Go For Broke” Regiment.

Go For Broke is Hawaiian Pidgin for going “all in” when betting.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt said of these men, “Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry.” As he was the President that authorized the internment of American citizens, the irony of his statement was likely lost on him.

The 442nd was its first action in Anzio, Italy where it joined another Nisei battalion, the 100th Infantry Battalion, made up of former members of the Hawaiian National Guard. They participated in key battles and lost hundreds of men, largely because white officers used the 442nd as cannon fodder. In all, 14,000 men served in the 442nd during World War II earning among their medals 9,486 Purple Hearts, 4,000 Bronze Stars, 550 Silver Stars, 8 Presidential Unit Citations and 21 Medals of Honor, the highest honor in the U.S. armed forces. On October 5, 2010, nearly 65 years after their service, the 442nd received the Congressional Gold Medal. This unit is the highest decorated regiment in the history of the United States. The veterans of the 442nd returned to Hawaii where they helped organize strikes and other civil disobedience to push for democratic reform in Hawaii. Their efforts finally broke the cycle of ethnic manipulation and exploitation of Asian-Americans in Hawaii. One of their leaders, Daniel Inouye would later become the senator from Hawaii. The legacy of the 442nd turned public opinion on the loyalty of Japanese-Americans, which led to the admission of Hawaii to the Union in 1959.

Taro bubble tea from Quickly’s

27. Vincent Chin Murder

Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese-American, was beaten to death in Detroit, Mich. in June 1982. The incident started in the Fancy Pants strip club where Chin was having his bachelor party when they encountered Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz. After a physical altercation and a verbal exchange of racial slurs, the two groups were thrown out of the club and went their separate ways. However, Ebens and Nitz continued to search for Chin. When they found him outside of a McDonald’s restaurant, they beat Chin with a baseball bat over the head repeatedly. Chin slipped into a coma and died four days later on June 23, 1982.

His famous last words were “It’s not fair.” Chin’s death sparked outraged within the Asian-American community. Furthermore, Ebens and Nitz only received three years of probation and a $3,000 fine. The light sentencing these men received was the subject of controversy for many years.

Chin’s death occurred during a time when Japanese motor companies were taking over the automobile market. As a result, many Americans – including Ebens and Nitz – lost their jobs in an increasingly competitive market. Detroit, the site of many automobile industry factories, was in decline as well. , The attacks on Chin were motivated by rising anti-Japanese sentiment within the U.S.; however, Chin was Chinese-American.

Perhaps even more important was the legacy that these incidents left behind on hate-crime laws and the pan-ethnic Asian-American movement that grew afterwards. Prior to Chin’s murder, there weren’t any hate-crime laws that protected the rights of minorities. In all, Chin’s case was an important moment in Asian-American history. It showed the violent consequences of racism and the importance of Asian-American self-awareness.

It led to the emergence of Asian-American leaders and the formation of groups such as American Citizens for Justice (ACJ) who fight for Asian-American rights. This case was a crucial catalyst for Asian-American activism in the U.S. Source: http://www.asianweek.com/061397/feature.html

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28. Chinese Takeout

Sesame Chicken Many Chinese immigrants that come to the United States start their own takeout restaurants. However, contrary to familyoriented restaurants, most of these restaurants are usually so small that they rarely serve any walk-in customers. Instead, their business comes from delivery and takeout services; these restaurants survive by offering free shipping for deliveries. Free delivery entices many Americans to stay at home and order Chinese food from takeout restaurants rather than to eat out. The simplicity of most the dishes also help, because it usually takes around 20 minutes from when the order is placed until it is delivered. In total, there are about 40,000 Chinese takeout restaurants across the entire country. This is more than the amount of McDonald’s and Taco Bell restaurants put altogether.

Although Chinese takeout restaurants specialize in Chinese food, they also serve food that is deep-fried. This mainly caters to Americans. Some examples of deep-fried food are fried dumplings and fried chicken wings. Three specialty dishes that you will see in every Chinese food restaurant are General Tso’s Chicken, Sesame Chicken, and Egg Fu Yung. General Tso’s Chicken is an example of Hunanese cuisine. The chicken in this dish is deep-fried and has a sweet and spicy taste. As one of the more famous dishes in a Chinese takeout restaurant, General Tso’s Chicken is well received in American culture. Similar to General Tso’s Chicken, Sesame Chicken is also deep-fried chicken except the sauce is sweeter, usually appealing to an audience of people with a sweet tooth.

Finally, Egg Fu Yung is similar to an omelet but is made Chinese style. Another trademark of a Chinese takeout restaurant is that your dinner will always be served with fortune cookies. Over the years, Americans have become obsessed with fortune cookies. Not only are they tasty, but they also give people a sense of satisfaction.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/storyphp?storyId=10069448&ft=1&f= 3 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/magazine/04food.t.html?_ r=1&pagewanted=all

http://chinesefood.about.com/cs/eggfooyung1/a/eggfooyung.htm

29. Vietnamese Refugees

On April 30, 1975, the fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a massive exodus of Vietnamese refugees to the United States in order to escape communism and pursue a better life. With the takeover of Saigon by the North Vietnamese forces, the United States was forced to evacuate. Moreover, in fear of harsh political persecution from the North, 100,000 Vietnamese military officers, soldiers, and their families that were affiliated with or collaborated with the American or South Vietnamese government was also airlifted out in helicopters to nearby naval carriers. They would arrive the same year to the United States.

From 1977 to 1981, the second wave left Vietnam to the United States and other countries around the world. After the fall of Saigon, a new communist government was established and subsequently enforced strict re-education programs in order to transition and force the South to embrace the new form of government. However, many Vietnamese resisted the change and instead chose to flee. Small businesses were also nationalized and ethnic Chinese-Vietnamese families that settled in Vietnam after leaving China were impacted the most and found their small businesses crippled. Additionally, a border conflict between Vietnam and China in 1979 further exasperated the ethnic ChineseVietnamese community as they were accused of being spies for China. Because of all these contributing factors and in search for a better life, 270,000 Vietnamese refugees fled Vietnam on boats.

Nicknamed, “Vietnamese boat people,” 40 percent were ethnic Chinese-Vietnamese, mostly from rural and poor areas.

However, the passage out of Vietnam for boat people was not easy. They could only bring the things they could carry with their hands and in their pockets out of the country, leaving behind their family and home. The boats were small and wooden and often carried tens to hundreds of Vietnamese men, women and children crammed together across the sea. On the boats, many people died from disease, sickness and starvation as problems with health and hygiene was common. Worst, Thai pirates commonly attacked and pillaged boats caught adrift, often stealing the engine, killing the men onboard and abducting or raping the women.

Those that did survive arrived in refugee camps stationed in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong. There, they learned English and were held until they were able to finalize their paperwork before finding a new home in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany or United Kingdom Source: http://archives.cbc.ca/society/immigration/topics/524/

30.1965 Immigration and Nationality Act

No one who has taken a course in Asian American history can avoid learning about this legislation. This act brought our parent’s generation into America. Enacted in 1965, this legislation increased the amount of visas annually to 170,000 for the nations in the eastern hemisphere. What really made this immigration act special, aside from allowing more immigrants that are Asian was the clause under family reunification. This meant that citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. could sponsor their relatives for a visa into the country. 74% of new immigrants enter the United States through family reunification visas in 1965.

Pretty much anybody who has 1st generation Asian parents most likely immigrated through this immigration Act. My parents immigrated in a similar pattern with my mother entering with a regular visa in 1986 and father getting the family reunification visa from mother in 1989.

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/100-442in.htm

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31. Japanese Internment

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Empire attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in a horrific military strike. This event raised concerns about the loyalty of Japanese-Americans living in the United States. Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt, who was head of the Western Command, wanted to conduct a search and seizure to prevent alien Japanese from contacting Japanese ships. The FBI denied his request and concluded that there was no present threat.

Around that time, approximately 127,000 Japanese-Americans lived on the West coast. Roughly half were nisei (second generation), who were American-born Japanese. The sansei (third generation) were the children of the nisei. The issei (first generation) were the immigrants and could not obtain citizenship under American law.

On the February of 1942, roughly two months after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the Secretary of War to establish military areas and to remove anyone who might threaten the war effort. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Japanese-Americans, mainly residing along the West Coast, were displaced from their homes under Executive Order 9066. The mass displacement began after the completion of the camps in late 1942. The government gave everyone of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast days to decide what to do with their assets. Most families had no choice but to sell their belongings at a significant loss. The Japanese families were given just two bags to pack—if they were lucky. The camps were built in desolate areas in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. They were loaded into vehicles and transported like livestock.

In these camps, construction was poor, with barbed wire wrapped around the perimeter, and there were armed guards everywhere.

Guards trained their guns inward, meant to keep the internees in and under control, rather than for their protection. The Japanese in the camps had done nothing wrong—but they were guilty by association.

The conditions at the camps were horrid. Most of the camps followed the same hasty construction, and had no consideration that the internees were going to be families. The barracks were small and there was no privacy, with poorly built facilities. Some furniture was stuffed with straw, and there were no partitions in the bathroom.

They slept in cots, and were dressed inappropriately for the weather, as no one had informed them exactly where they were going. Guards enforced a curfew from their armed watchtowers. For the interned families at Heart Mountain in Wyoming, many arrived simply with the clothes they wore on their backs.

Families were allowed to return to their homes when the camps closed a few months after the war ended. Many found their houses vandalized—if they actually still owned that property. The Japanese now had to face discrimination and the heavy anti-Japanese atmosphere. It was already present prior to their internment, as many Californians did not like the economic success of many JapaneseAmericans. Some internees renounced their U.S. citizenship and returned to Japan. This decision appeared to some as proof of disloyalty, and that their decision to give up American citizenship represents how much they loathed the United States. Community associations such as the Japanese-American Civic League (JACL) had advocated for compliance with internment to prove the loyalty of Japanese-Americans. This led to a division among the JapaneseAmerican community between those that wanted to avoid trouble and those that agitated for their rights.

Source: Hayashi, B. M. (2004). Democratizing the Enemy: The Japanese American Internment.

Princeton: Princeton University Press. http://www.nps.gov/manz/historyculture/japanese-americans-atmanzanar.htm

Aerial Photo of Granada Center from the Water Tower - Granada Relocation Center, Amache, Colorado. Photo by Joe McClelland , 6/20/1943

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Where my Asians be at?

32. Flushing, New York

Flushing is the home of New York’s second largest Chinatown.

Conveniently located in the heart of Queens, it is known for its diverse and urban Asian-American community. However, AsianAmericans historically did not settle in Flushing until recently.

Founded as a Dutch settlement in 1644, Flushing was a center of religious freedom and maintained a close-knit community.

Italian and Greek families settled in Flushing until the 1970s with the onset of the Great Depression. Coincidentally, amidst the economic turmoil, many decided to move elsewhere thus lowering the housing prices in the community. Asian-American families, specifically Chinese and Korean, were able to take advantage of the low housing prices and settle in Flushing. Since then, small businesses, restaurants and food vendors have revitalized the streets downtown, opening bakeries, gift shops, karaoke bars, supermarkets, department and clothing stores, malls and a large variety of different restaurants that feature a fusion of Asian culture.

Flushing has lately become an epicenter of Asian-American politics, helping to elect in the past Binghamton University alumnus John C. Liu as the city’s first Asian-American councilmember, Jimmy Meng to the state assembly, and Ellen Young two years later.

Aside from Manhattan’s Chinatown, Flushing is also the home of a plethora of grassroots organizations that advocate for AsianAmerican rights and represent a stronger voice for the community.

33. Edison, New Jersey

According to the 2000 census, Edison, New Jersey, a small township in Middlesex County, is home to the largest Asian Indian diaspora in the United States. In the census, 17.75 percent of residents identified themselves as Indian-American, the highest percentage of any place in the U.S. , followed by Edison’s neighboring town, Iselin, where 17.44 percent of residents reported Indian ancestry.

Oak Tree Road is particularly notable for the large presence of Asian Indians, to the extent that any non-Indian who walked down the street would be subject to curious stares. Just about every store on Oak Tree Road sells Indian goods, from Indian jewelry and clothes to Indian groceries. Neighborhoods such as Edison and Iselin conjures feelings of actually living in India; movie theatres show the newest Bollywood hits, English is hardly spoken in the crowded streets, and there is a noticeable disregard for rules of the road. Aside from being a popular place of residence for IndianAmericans, it is also a popular town for shopping. Many IndianAmericans in the tri-state area regularly travel up to two hours to Edison in order to buy inexpensive Indian groceries. Recently, The New York Times columnist, Joel Stein, wrote a controversial article about his hometown, Edison, called “My Own Private India,” the humor of which was received by many as “Indophobic.”

Source: http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Asian-Indian.html

Myths (REALORFAKE?) 34. Are Asians Really Bad Drivers?

It’s the stereotype perpetuated not only in America, but even in countries as far as Australia. Here’s what’s been pounded into our heads over and over again: “Asian driver behind the wheel. Watch out!” This stereotype has been a mainstay in stand-up routines and the gaff of comedy movies for some time now, only fueling the stereotype that Asians are bad drivers. But statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation prove that Asians aren’t bad drivers; they’re nowhere near the worst. So what seems to be driving this notion? The prevalence appears to be attributed to a well-known theory in psychology called the confirmation bias, which is the process of filtering out information in such a way that it supports your theories and disregards anything said otherwise.

The U.S. Department of Transportation released a technical report on fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes from 1999-2004 (Figure 1). The research compiled the motor vehicle crash deaths as the percentage of all ages combined divided by race, where Asian and Pacific Islanders are third amongst the group. As quoted from the report: “In 2002, almost 7 percent of all Native American deaths and nearly 5 percent of Hispanic-Latino deaths were attributable to motor vehicle traffic crashes.

The percentages were significantly lower for nonHispanic White and African American populations, as well as for Asians and Pacific Islanders.”

Based on the report, Asians don’t attribute to a significant amount of car crashes in the United States. To the contrary, they’re one of the lowest. So what makes it seem like they do?

Blame it on the media constantly perpetuating the stereotype, never letting it to rest. To some extent, that may be true. We see car crashes quite frequently, but accidents involving Asian drivers seem to stand out in our mind, which is where the confirmation bias comes in. In the words of researcher Raymond Nickerson: “Confirmation bias. . . connotes the seeking or interpreting of evidence in ways that are partial to existing beliefs, expectations or a hypothesis in hand.” It’s the tendency to seek out or interpret information in such a way that it confirms your preconceptions.

Because the stereotype is already so frequently displayed, we only notice Asians in car crashes or cutting us off because we filter out every other car crash and aggressive driver we see. We only pay attention to the information that proves us right, seeking out information which confirms our already established beliefs and avoiding any contradicting evidence. So it only appears to us that Asians are far worse drivers, simply because there’s no other ethnicity with such a moniker for bad driving.

The numbers may contradict what the stereotype perpetuates, but the notion that Asians are the worse drivers around won’t be laid to rest for some time. That’s why they’re stereotypes after all.

As long as there are people out there who want to prove themselves right, unbeknownst even to them, there won’t be any escape. At least we can say there’s evidence to prove the contrary.

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35. Asian-Americans Eat Dogs?

In America, the sale of cat and dog meat is clearly disallowed.

The average hobo off the street is more likely to eat a cat or a dog in America than any Asian-American in the U.S. However, abroad, this might be a different story. While historically, China has been known to eat dog, legislation in the year 2010 banned the future consumption of both these animals on the mainland.

The independently governed areas of Hong Kong and Taiwan also imposed a ban on the consumption of dog meat as a result of animal rights activities and the fact that massive amounts of strays make it difficult to create quality control measures. However, our current generation’s parents may have eaten dog meat if they came from areas such as Indonesia, where it is known as a festive dish. Japan historically also used to consume dog meat, but has since then shifted over to more westernized animal products.

As for Korea, dog meat still remains a widely popular meat to be used in soups or roasts. Although Korean-Americans do not eat dog meat regularly, if one makes a trip to Korea, many have been known to sample the delicacy just to say they’ve tried it. Nevertheless, this isn’t to say that all Koreans agree to the consumption of dog meat.

In fact, many people in both Korea and America find it repulsive and lobby against the future sale of the meat. Others do not eat it but maintain that people have the right to eat it; others still find it to be a fascinating dish and wish for it to become legal worldwide.

Dog meat is actually illegal in Seoul since 1984. However, the laws are barely enforced and anybody who is brought to court on charges of selling dog meat have been acquitted.

In a nutshell, most Asian Americans do not eat dog meat and most likely never will, since the sale of it is illegal in both America and many countries abroad. However, is it available for consumption abroad? Yes, but the same thing can be said for frog legs, sheep brain, and escargot in Europe. While the general U.S. citizen might be squeamish about such delicacies, there will always be people who will eat even the most exotic dish. Meanwhile, for those of you who are actually curious about how dog meat tastes, according to most people, it tastes just like beef.

36. Indians Are Not Asian?

Despite the common assumption that the term “Asian” only includes those countries in East Asia, South Asia as its name suggests, is actually also part of the continent of Asia. Believe it or not, based solely on semantics, India is in fact, a part of Asia.

Indians are Asian.

India is indisputably part of the Asian continent—if you are unfamiliar with this third grade geography, google “map of Asia” and see for yourself. Nonetheless, for the sake of those who still doubt me, I will continue to tear apart the absurd exclusion of the Indian population from the Asian identity.

Let’s first take a look at the food, since food is such a big part of culture and identity. Egg roll, spring roll, samosa, pakora, tempura, potstickers: fried vegetable or meat-filled dough. Similar, right?

Well, egg rolls are typically Vietnamese, spring rolls are popular in Cantonese-speaking China, samosas and pakoras are both commonly enjoyed in India, tempura is Japanese and potstickers are popular northern Chinese treats. Still not convinced? Well, no one disputes the Asian-ness of Thai people or Cambodians, yet, they share something in common with Indians—curry. Compare the curries of India, Thailand and Cambodia side-by-side and you will find that they look surprisingly alike. Although in many north Indian states, curries tend to be eaten with a kind of bread, generally naan, south Indians eat their curries with rice, just like those in Thailand and Cambodia. I think it is important to note that in a majority of Asian cuisine, rice is a staple food—of course, when I say majority, I am including India.

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Next, we’ll talk about tea. Tea plants are native to both East Asia and South Asia, further proving that India is culturally similar to those countries typically recognized as “Asian.” Wikipedia claims that tea may have originated at the point of confluence of the lands of northeast India, north Burma, southwest China and Tibet.

For ages, tea has been a popular beverage in China, Korea, Japan, as well as in India. The words for tea are even similar. The Korean, Chinese, Hindi (as well as other Indian languages), Japanese, Thai, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Nepali, Mongolian, Tagalog and Lao words for tea all derive from “cha” or “chai.” Data generated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in January of 2010 lists China as being the number one producer of tea in 2006, 2007, and 2008, followed closely by India.

Britain categorizes Indians as Asians. In fact, in Britain, the Asian community predominantly includes people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh form the predominant “Asian” community. In a recent press release issued by Madame Taussads of London to announce the unveiling of Hrithik Roshan’s wax duplicate—the newest addition to the collection, the article lists Hrithik Roshan, an Indian actor, as part of a collection of Bollywood/Asian stars including Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Amitabh Bachchan.

Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism all originated in India. Buddhism, a religion typically considered to be Chinese, despite its popular practice in other Asian countries, actually came from India. In fact, the Buddha—Siddhartha Gautama—was an Indian man. Buddhism even shares many similarities with the major Indian religions like Hinduism. These similarities include the concepts of karma, rebirth or reincarnation (samsara), dharma and the practice of yoga and meditation. Furthermore, both Buddhist Nirvana and Hindu Moksha represent a release from the cycle of rebirth.

Lastly, I will dispel a popular argument against the fact that Indians are Asians. This argument states that Indians are Caucasian and, thus, racially different than East Asians. First off, not all Indians can be racially classified as Aryan or Caucasian. Many, especially those from East India, are considered to be mongoloid.

As of 2000, CIA World Factbook estimates that 72 percent of Indians are ethnically Indo-Aryan, while 25 percent are Dravidian, and 3 percent Mongoloid. Putting those statistics aside, why must there be ethnic homogeny in the Asian classification? Italians are considered Europeans, but aside from their Latin roots, many Italians have Germanic roots (the last name Lombardi derives from the Germanic Lombard tribe that contributed to the fall of Rome, for example) and Greek roots, as much of Italy was incorporated in Ancient Greece. If we look at Europe as a whole, we find a lot of ethnic diversity, what I mentioned was only one example of the ethnic diversity within a European country. Nonetheless, those from European countries are all considered to be European, just as those from Asian countries are Asian. Furthermore, the fact that majority of Indians are Indo-Aryan, different from far East Asians, only proves that they cannot be classified as Mongoloid, not that they cannot be classified as Asian as one refers to race and the other refers to geographical location.

If you are still not convinced, I will, once again, advise you to find India on any map. I assure you it will be southwest of China on the Asian continent.

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html h tt p : / /w w w. m a d a m e t u s s a u d s . c o m / L o n d o n / N e w s A n d E v e n t s / HrithikRoshanrelease/Default.aspx http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000784/index.html http://wals.info/feature/138?tg_format=map&v1=cd00&v2=c00d&v3=cccc &s=20&z3=3000&z2=2999&z1=2998

Literature & Movies

38. Amy Tan

37. Gish Jen

Lillian Jen, later known as Gish Jen, is a contemporary American writer concentrating in mostly fictional writing. Born as second generation Chinese-American, Jen grew up in Queens, NY and graduated Harvard University in 1977. Shortly after graduating from Harvard, she attended Stanford Business School only to drop out for the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop and earn her MFA in fiction in 1983. In eight short years, Jen published her first novel, Typical American, in 1991, which was a finalist in National Book Critics’ Circle Cover of Who’s Irish by Gish Jen award. She later published her second novel, Mona in the Promised Land, in 1996 and probably her most critically acclaimed book, Who’s Irish, in 1999.

Who’s Irish is a collection of short stories that center on similar themes such as identity, home, family and community that are prevalent in Chinese upbringings and morals. The introductory short story of Who’s Irish is commonly read throughout the American school systems. Told from the perspective of an immigrant Chinese grandmother, Who’s Irish illustrates the differences in cultural gaps, time differences and touches on the themes of identity, home and family. The narrator, now widowed, lives with her daughter, who is married to an Irish man. Her role in the household is to help raise her granddaughter, Sophie. The narrator struggles with challenges such as raising her granddaughter without the use of physical discipline, “supporting” the unemployed son-in-law, John, and preserving her relationship with her daughter. The narrator must adapt to the accepted American culture, which differs and clashes heavily with her personal Chinese culture and experiences. The short story emphasizes her inability to assimilate into the American-style of child upbringing, which leads her to meet her later role model, Bess, John’s mother. The moving short story allows students to see and learn from the issues that arise from cultural and generational gaps.

Source: http://www.thecrimson.harvard.edu/article/2002/6/4/novelist-gish-jenfinds-literary-voice/ http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/fellowships/fellows_2002gjen.aspx http://www.gishjen.com/the-author http://www.gishjen.com/other-books

Cover for The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Amy Tan, a California native, is an Asian-American writer who focuses her work on motherdaughter relationships. Her bestselling novel, The Joy Luck Club (1989), spent eight months on The New York Times bestseller list. That novel and her subsequent novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife (1991), also had excellent sales. Three more novels ensued, The Hundred Secret Senses (1995), The Bonesetter’s Daughter (2001) and Saving Fish from Drowning (2005). She has also published two children’s books: The Moon Lady (1992) and The Sagwa (The Siamese Cat) (1994). The Joy Luck Club has become a commercially successful film and Sagwa has become an

animated series airing on PBS. Born to Chinese immigrants on February 19, 1952, the Tan family initially moved around Northern California before settling in Santa Clara. Tan lost her older brother due to a brain tumor and a year later, her father passed away from the same ailment. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English and linguistics from San Jose University. Tan studied for a doctorate in linguistics, first at UC Santa Cruz, then later at UC Berkeley. She had developed an interest in the developmentally disabled and left the doctoral program in 1976. She took a job as a language development consultant to the Alameda County Association for Retarded Citizens and later directed a training project for developmentally disabled children.

Tan currently resides in Sausalito, California with her husband, Louis DeMattei. She now spends much of her energy raising awareness of Lyme disease, promoting its early detection and treatment, and advocating for the rights of Lyme disease patients.

Source: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0bio-1

39. The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet was originally a radio program in the 1930s.

Protagonist Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher, is a crime-fighting vigilante in his titular alter ego. He is accompanied by his martial artist sidekick, Kato, who drives their technologically advanced car, the “Black Beauty.” The original TV series starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato, which caused the latter’s stardom to skyrocket as he became a major star in martial arts movies. However, the show was canceled after only one season and—for generations to come—the Green Hornet was only a myth.

To many, this masked vigilante was unknown until this year’s release of the action-comedy film, starring Seth Rogan and Jay Chou. In the film, the Green Hornet and Kato pose as criminals in order to infiltrate the lairs of real criminals and drug lords, using high-tech gadgets, a pair of nunchaku and the Black Beauty. The film is jam-packed with action, explosions and a few laughs that are worth the $10 ticket price; and as an added bonus, you even get to hear Jay Chou lip sync early on in the movie. source: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007008 http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968873 http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/23/entertainment/la-et-greenhornet-20100723/3

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40. Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O was a crime drama that ran from 1968 to 1980 set and filmed on location in Hawaii. The name “Five-O” refers to Hawaii’s status as the fiftieth state. The series followed the exploits of a Hawaiian state police task force led by former naval commander Steve McGarrett. The other major characters were officers Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua.

Together the task force solved crimes and thwarted international intrigue, particularly at the hands of the villainous Chinese secret agent, Wo Fat. The actor that played Chin Ho, Kam Fong Chun was an 18-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department and one of the first Asian-American actors to appear regularly on prime-time television. As the show was filmed on location, many locals played roles as supporting characters and extras, providing visibility for Hawaii’s Asian-Americans and making it one of the most diverse shows on primetime television.

This show is the second longest-running American crime show and set the standard for dozens of crime dramas that came after it.

In 2010, CBS rebooted the show casting Korean-American actors Daniel Dae Kim as Chin Ho and Grace Park as Kono Kalakaua.

While the new version of the show, now known as Hawaii 5-0 is undoubtedly bigger budget with more action scenes, it still tries to maintain the Hawaiian roots of the show with references to Hawaiian culture and characters speaking the Hawaiian language.

An estimated 400 million people around the world have seen the original Hawaii 5-O.

Hawaii Five-O poster Picture Source: http://www.hawaiimagazine.com/images/content/Hawaii_Five_O_ remake_filming_pilot_today_Oahu/FiveO.jpg

Special Thanks: Alyssa Alimurung (#13) Richard Chu (#1, #3, #35) Lillian Lai (#16) Brendan Lu (#17) Aimee Mun (#34) Kayla Natrella (#8, #9, #12, #33, #36) Christopher Ng (#18, #30) Jaclyn Podd (#10) Calvin Prashad (#11, #19, #26, #40)

Disclaimer:

Ricky Sosulski (#22, #24) Johnny Thach (#2, #21, #29, #32) Justin Wang (#39) Diane Wong (#5, #6, #7) Simon Wong (#23, #25, #28) Jonathan Yee (#4, #15, #27) Ivan Yeung (#14, #37) Paul Yi (#20) Eve Zhang (#31, #38)

The topics in this list were generated solely by the writers and are not meant to reflect the general Asian-American population.

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ASIAN OUTLOOK

AO Conscience

Cover photo by Daphne Lee

by Daphne Lee

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ASIAN OUTLOOK

Easiest Journey to Be Had

By Michael Chung The long road seems endless Its length covered in darkness The frigid wind freezes all Even the eagles’ wings fail and fall I stand shaken Wondering how long I can stay awaken Nothing seems certain Except the blistering cold that won’t weaken The pain soon becomes unbearable My courage becomes fragile I wonder if I can last In a plain that is so vast Suddenly I stopped thinking about the pain I gave greater effort to my body than my brain As I walked I hit a block Its surface resonated harder than a rock Alas! I reached the city gate I walked for hundred miles and never ate Yet only an hour seemed to pass It looks like the laws of time is easy to bypass Pain was never felt Without thoughts it shall easily melt I learned that no task could ever make me tired or mad Because from that day on, every journey was the easiest to be had

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Strawberry-Filled Green Tea Matcha Cupcakes

By Rachel Foreman Ingredients: Makes 12 cupcakes 1 ½ cup of flour 1 cup sugar 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder ½ teaspoon of salt 1 tablespoon of matcha powder (available at Wegmans) ½ cup unsalted butter 2 large eggs ½ cup of whole milk ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract Strawberry jam Method: Preheat oven to 325 degrees 1.

2.

3.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and matcha powder) in a large bowl. If you have an electric mixer, I recommend using it, though it is not required. Soften the stick of butter, and cut it into small pieces. Add butter to the bowl, and mix until the pieces are peanut-sized or a little smaller.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. While mixing, or with an electric mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Small pieces of butter will actually aid in keeping the cupcakes moist as they cook.

Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. If you are clumsy like me and you spill batter on the tray outside of the liners, make sure to wipe it off, otherwise it will burn! Bake time is usually about 17-20 minutes, though because every oven differs slightly, it is smart to test them.

Take a slim object such as a tooth pick or chop stick and push it into one cupcake and take it back out. If it comes out clean with no batter sticking to it, they are done!

4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, use a knife to cut a cone shaped hole.

Remove the cone shaped piece, fill the hole with strawberry jam, cut off the pointed end of the cone shaped piece and replace the top (Imagine you are carving a Jack o’ Lantern, and are replacing the top after hallowing it out).

5.

40

Next you have the option of using a store bought frosting, or following the below directions to make delicious homemade strawberry butter cream frosting.

ASIAN OUTLOOK

Optional Strawberry Buttercream Frosting recipe: Makes 2 ½ cups 2 large egg whites 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces 3/4 cup fresh strawberries, pureed Method: 1.

Place egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves completely.

2.

Remove from heat, and attach bowl to a mixer. I actually tried to mix this by hand when I did not have a mixer available, and while it is possible, it is also very tiring. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking well after each addition.

3.

Switch to a paddle attachment. With mixer on low, add strawberry puree, and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Use immediately, or cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.

Citation: www.sweetestkitchen.com

The Notorious CHING CHONG

By Paul Yi

Ching chong ching chong ling long Words dipped in hatred, covered in discrimination Soaked in ignorance Ching chong ching chong ling long Words that welcomed our ancestors Words that brought down hopeful dreams Ching chong ching chong ling long Words that tried to oppress and show inferiority Words that bring despair and disdain Ching chong ching chong ling long Words accompanied with the tight grasp Of fingers pulled on the side of faces Words that we wish would just go away Ching chong

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A Topology to Introduction

By Kenneth Chung

I am an interior point of the set.

There exists an open disk centered at me That lies entirely in the set.

It contains only members of my set, Nothing else.

And for too long, I have been content with this disk, Clinging to the security of familiarity Taking solace in knowing That everything I have ever known Is in my set And accumulates to me.

Were I pushed closer To the boundary of my set, I would retreat further, My radius shrinking, my disk degenerating, Until it becomes little more than just myself.

All to remain a subset.

I do wonder what lies beyond my set, I don’t even know where the boundary is.

I have wondered, but not ventured.

If I’m on the boundary of my set, My disk emerges, easily, inevitably Containing something outside.

But we are members of an open set, And it takes more than just any effort To overcome the separation.

Can I finally reach out, With an open disk, an open mind, With the courage of an encompassing radius Positive, prominent, and unwavering Unrestricted by my set?

Emergence from the set.

I don’t know what’s on the outside.

But at the very least I will find: Closure.

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ASIAN OUTLOOK

MY CONSCIENCE HATH A THOUSAND SEVERAL TONGUES,

AND EVERY TONGUE

BRINGS IN A SEVERAL TALE. - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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“Yuki” by MDI

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ASIAN OUTLOOK

“Xia” by MDI Vol. XXIV, Issue 3

45

“TASC Banquet 2011: E-board” by TASC

by Kelvin Chan

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ANOTHER CAN BE DRAWN;

THAT THERE IS

NO END IN NATURE,

BUT EVERY END

IS A BEGINNING, AND UNDER EVERY DEEP

A LOWER DEEP OPENS. - RALPH WALDO EMERSON

ASIAN OUTLOOK

OUR LIFE IS AN APPRENTICESHIP TO THE TRUTH THAT AROUND EVERY CIRCLE